Facility medication errors include wrong drug, wrong dose, wrong resident, wrong time, wrong route, and omitted doses. Federal regulations require facilities to maintain a medication error rate below five percent and to be free of significant errors.
Errors are documented in incident reports and identified during surveys.
Alternative Names:
Long-Term Care Medication Error, Facility Medication Error
Why it Matters?
The regulatory error rate threshold gives these claims a defined standard that most litigation lacks, and surveyors measure it directly during inspections. The medication administration record is the primary evidence, and gaps between physician orders and documented administration establish omitted doses without expert testimony. Psychotropic medication errors carry additional exposure given the separate regulatory restrictions on their use.
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Frequently asked questions
What error rate do federal regulations permit?
What evidence establishes an omitted dose?
