Many nursing home residents across Illinois take daily medications to manage their health. These residents are put at risk of severe complications when they don’t get the medicines they need, are given the wrong dosage, or receive the wrong medication entirely. Research shows that medication errors in nursing homes are causing widespread harm in Illinois and throughout the country.
Medication Error Statistics in Illinois
Since many Illinois nursing home medication errors lead to hospitalizations, it is critical to understand the risks they pose to you or a family member living in one of these facilities. Here are the answers to some of the most pressing questions regarding medication errors:
How many medication errors occur per year?
Nursing homes have strong incentives not to publicize potentially attention-grabbing mistakes. However, NBC 5 Investigates found that 384 medication errors occurred across the state over a three-year period. A second, more recent news report by the Chicago Tribune found 1,200 violations regarding the inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs (medications that affect patients’ thinking and behavior) at Illinois nursing homes since 2001. A third research study, one looking at cumulative research into this topic, found that about 16-27 percent of nursing home residents experience medication errors.
Are incidents rising or falling compared to previous years?
Publicly available figures are limited; however, these errors continue to make headlines across the state. According to the Ford County Chronicle, regulators from the Illinois Department of Public Health in Gibson City recently fined a nursing home over $77,000 for various violations of the state’s Nursing Home Care Act, including a fatal medication error.
How does Illinois compare to national averages?
States have varying numbers of nursing homes, differing quality standards, distinct population demographics, and other factors that make it challenging to compare nursing home medication error rates. What is clear is that these errors are a concerning problem in Illinois and can cause severe, even fatal, injuries.
What Are the Common Causes and Risk Factors of Medication Errors in Nursing Homes?
Common causes of medication errors at nursing homes and risk factors include the following:
- Staffing shortages – Understaffed facilities may rush or skip proper medication checks, leading to mistakes.
- Inadequate training – Staff who don’t have training on medication management are more likely to administer the wrong drug or dose.
- Complex medication regimens – Older adults often have multiple prescriptions, increasing the chance of mix-ups if nursing home staff aren’t careful.
- Failure to review medical history – Ignoring a resident’s medical allergies or failing to check for dangerous drug interactions can result in the dispensing of contraindicated medications.
Steps to Take If You Suspect a Medication Error
Follow these steps if you suspect you or a family member suffered an injury from a medication error at a nursing home:
- Seek immediate medical attention to address any health concerns.
- Request a complete list of medications and dosages you or your family member received.
- Report the incident to nursing home management in writing.
- Document your or your family member’s symptoms, any conversations with staff about medications, and any specific dates you can remember (such as when symptoms began).
- File a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
- Contact a nursing home abuse attorney.
Contact a Medication Error Attorney at Our Firm
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. has recovered over $3.5 billion for injured clients throughout the past 40+ years. Our medication error attorneys in Illinois can help you hold careless nursing homes or their staff accountable for these preventable mistakes. Call now or complete our contact form for a free consultation.
