It is always painful to have to put a loved one into a nursing home, and there are many concerns when doing so. Most of us have heard the advice that every nursing home resident has to have an advocate–someone who will look after the resident’s interests and either spend lots of time at the facility or at least check in randomly to make sure the resident is being taken care of properly.

Concerns for a resident can include is the patient getting fed? Getting plenty of water? Being bathed? Turned often enough to not get bedsores? (See our article on bedsores here). Having enough stimulus and physical therapy? Being treated well? And of course, is the correct medication being given and at the right dose and time?

The Issue Of Medication Errors

Unfortunately, medication errors are a big concern in nursing homes. In a study of all nursing home residents in North Carolina during 2010-2011, there were 32,176 individual medication errors found during that period, as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. The drugs most often found to have been dispensed improperly are analgesics, sedatives/hypnotics, antidiabetics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, and opthalmic medications.

Residents can be harmed by not only getting the wrong medications, but in interactions between drugs. Because residents often have medicines prescribed by different doctors, nursing homes should have periodic reviews of residents’ medications by a pharmacist to ensure there would be no harmful interactions. If such interactions are likely, the medications can be changed.

Making sure that the residents get the right medications, and at the right dose and right time is a major concern for nursing homes. There should be a protocol in place that the dispensing nurse follows in dispensing medicine. This should include making sure it is the right patient. Some facilities have a photograph of the patient in the medication tray to help identification. Second, is it the right medication? Dispensing errors can cause the wrong medication to be given. Special care needs to be given because medications that are spelled or pronounced similarly can be confused. Third, is it the right dose? Getting the wrong dose–either too high or too low–can cause serious consequences for the residents. Fourth–is it the right means to give the medication? Medications can be given by pill, shot, liquid, patch, etc., and it is important to use the right one. Different forms of delivery affect how fast the medications are metabolized, and consequently, can have a serious effect on the resident. Last, is it the right time to give the meds? See the World Health dispensing protocol here. Giving meds at the wrong time can cause serious side effects.

Are The Right Medications Being Prescribed?

Another problem is when nursing homes prescribe unnecessary drugs to residents to make them more manageable. According to an AARP article, nearly 1 in 5 nursing home residents across the country has been given an antipsychotic that is both unnecessary and can be dangerous for an elderly patient. Read the report here.

There is documentation of these errors, but how many more may go undetected? Some studies say as few as five percent of the medication mistakes at nursing homes are reported. Others say only 14 percent are reported–not much better.

If you have a loved one in a nursing home, this issue is of concern to you. If you think your loved one has been harmed by medication errors in a nursing home, contact a qualified attorney.