A wrongful death claim against an Illinois nursing home may finally be resolved this month. According to reports, the case was scheduled to go to trial this week.
The wrongful death claim was filed against the nursing home in 2007 after a resident died from a medication overdose. The administrator of the deceased resident’s estate has accused the nursing home of causing the resident’s death. The lawsuit claims that the nursing home was negligent when it administered the patient’s medications, and as a result, the patient was fatally injured.
When doctors prescribe medications, they need to make sure they prescribe medications in the correct doses and that they also make sure patients know how to take their medications safely. And when patients are receiving treatment from nursing home workers, doctors need to communicate effectively with nursing home workers to make sure they know how to properly administer patients’ medications.
Any errors made while prescribing medications and administering medications may be harmful to patients, and may even cause patients to suffer fatal injuries from overdoses, side effects, allergic reactions or dangerous drug interactions.
The lawsuit against the Illinois nursing home that is heading to trial this week claims that nursing home workers violated the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act by failing to properly administer the patient’s medication. The lawsuit claims that staff failed to remove a narcotic patch before placing a new patch on the patient. As a result, the patient suffered complications and died from an overdose. The nursing home has failed to take responsibility for the patient’s death. The nursing home claims the patient died from a pre-existing medical condition.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Wrongful death trial against Rosewood begins today,” Christina Stueve Hodges, March 4, 2013
