When we fill a prescription or receive a medication at a hospital, we trust that every professional in the process—from the prescribing doctor to the pharmacist or nurse—will act with care and precision. Yet prescription errors remain one of the most common and dangerous forms of medical mistakes, often with life-changing consequences.
How Do Prescription Errors Occur?
Medication errors can happen at any stage of patient care:
- Prescribing – A physician writes the wrong medication, incorrect dosage, or fails to consider allergies and existing medications.
- Transcribing – Errors occur as orders are recorded or entered into pharmacy systems.
- Dispensing – The pharmacy fills the prescription incorrectly or includes incomplete instructions.
- Administering – Nursing or hospital staff give the medication to the wrong patient or in the wrong dosage.
Despite protocols and safety checks designed to prevent them, these errors still happen—often because of understaffing, communication failures, or overlooked patient history.
The Consequences of Medication Errors
For patients, the effects of prescription errors can be life-altering—and often irreversible. These mistakes reach far beyond temporary discomfort; they can cause significant harm to a person’s health, livelihood, and overall quality of life.
Some of the most common—and serious—consequences include:
- Severe allergic reactions
A patient may receive a medication they are known to be allergic to, triggering anaphylaxis—a rapid, potentially fatal reaction that requires emergency intervention. Even when treated in time, anaphylactic reactions can result in hospitalization, long-term complications, or psychological trauma. - Dangerous drug interactions
Patients often take multiple medications. Prescribing or dispensing a drug that dangerously interacts with existing medications can cause anything from internal bleeding and kidney failure to seizures or cardiac events. - Overdose or insufficient treatment
Receiving too high a dose can lead to overdose, toxicity, or organ damage. Conversely, too low a dose can mean that a patient’s illness or condition is left untreated or worsens, sometimes silently and irreversibly. - Organ damage or permanent disability
Some medication errors cause long-term harm, such as liver or kidney failure, neurological injury, or vision and hearing loss. These effects can permanently change a patient’s daily life, ability to work, and independence. - Stroke, cardiac arrest, or death
In the most tragic cases, medication mistakes result in catastrophic events like strokes or heart attacks. Sadly, these errors can also be fatal—leaving families to grieve an avoidable loss.
These are not minor oversights—they are preventable mistakes that can profoundly and permanently impact individuals and their families.
When Does a Prescription Error Become Medical Malpractice?
Under Massachusetts law, not every medication error amounts to medical malpractice. To succeed in a medical malpractice claim, it must be shown that:
- A healthcare provider owed a duty of care to the patient;
- The provider breached that duty by failing to meet accepted medical standards; and
- That breach directly caused injury or harm to the patient.
Some prescription errors that may rise to the level of malpractice include:
- Prescribing medication that a patient’s chart clearly shows would cause a dangerous reaction and the patient does suffer from that reaction
- Failing to review and act on known drug interactions
- Dispensing the wrong medication or incorrect dosage despite clear labeling
- Prescribing excessively high doses of medication without proper justification or monitoring
In Massachusetts, these cases often require expert medical testimony to establish what the accepted standard of care was, how it was violated, and how that violation directly led to the patient’s injury.
What the Law Requires — and Deadlines to Know
Massachusetts law also imposes strict procedural requirements on medical malpractice claims. These include:
- Statute of limitations – In most cases, you must file a claim within three years from the date you knew or reasonably should have known that medical malpractice occurred.
- Tribunal review – Before a lawsuit proceeds, the claim must be reviewed by a special medical malpractice tribunal (made up of a judge, lawyer, and medical professional) to determine whether there is enough evidence to support the claim.
- Expert testimony – Plaintiffs must present an expert who can testify about how the standard of care was breached and why that breach caused harm.
Missing these deadlines or failing to follow these procedures can result in losing the right to bring a claim—so it’s critical to act promptly if you suspect malpractice.
What You Can Do?
While healthcare providers are ultimately responsible for safe prescribing and dispensing, patients and families can help reduce the risk of errors by:
- Keeping an updated list of medications and known allergies
- Confirming the purpose and correct dosage of each medication with the prescriber and pharmacist
- Carefully reading medication labels and instructions before taking any new prescription
- Asking questions if anything seems different or unclear
At SUGARMAN, our attorneys have decades of experience handling complex medical malpractice claims, including those involving prescription errors. We understand the medical, legal, and emotional challenges these cases bring—and we’re here to help. If you or a loved one have been impacted by prescription errors and you would like to speak to an attorney, call 617-542-1000, email , or fill out our contact form.