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Once a physician is aware that a patient can suffer allergic reactions from certain drugs or medications, it is up to the doctor to avoid administering or prescribing these medications. If the doctor fails to act properly and is responsible for prescribing incorrect medications and the patient suffers an allergy attack as a result, the victim may need the services of a medical legal consultant to prove a case of malpractice. Allergic Reaction Signs There are many ways that a person can suffer an allergic reaction. People experience allergic reactions to particular chemicals, foods or medications, so if a doctor behaved negligently in prescribing drugs or medications, a medical legal consultant can possibly show that the physician is liable for causing an allergic reaction in the patient. Signs of an allergic attack differ in severity. Some symptoms are annoying or irritating, others can be painful but pass in a short period of time, while still others are life threatening. Allergic signs include dizziness, hives, pain in the chest or stomach, diarrhea, fainting spells, coughing, an increase in heart rate, vomiting, and swelling of the face, eyes, tongue or lips. In the most severe cases, the breathing passages can get restricted, damaging lung activity and resulting in a heart attack. Forms of Negligence Allergy malpractice can be pursued if a number of different scenarios have taken place. For example, if a patient has experienced an allergic reaction after a medication has been administered that the individual has been allergic to even though their medical file or their arm band specifies that the person is allergic to it. Also, patients that are given drugs that the doctor has been informed that they are allergic to, instead of a medication that is part of a different drug class. Allergic reactions can also occur if the patient receives a higher than usual dosage of a certain medication. Finally, a patient may have suffered malpractice if the doctor administers a drug that reacts badly with a medication the individual is already taking. Proving Malpractice Showing that the patient’s physician was negligent is the task of the plaintiff’s legal team. The attorney must show that the doctor acted in an irresponsible manner when treating the patient, that the doctor had all the relevant information on the patient’s medical history and still acted negligently in prescribing the wrong medicine, and that a doctor under much the same conditions would have provided a standard of care that would not have caused injury to the patient. The medical legal consultant working on the team will then demonstrate to the jury that erroneous drugs prescribed to the patient was the direct result of the plaintiff’s injury or ill health, and thus the cause of the patient’s pain, suffering and any inability to work, entitling the victim to compensatory damages. A qualified legal medical consultant serving on a legal team is the best way to prove to a jury that a doctor’s errors in judgment in ignoring the patient’s allergy history caused damage to the health of an individual, and under the law, is entitled to compensation.
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