Wrong dosage of Medicine leads to death of Hospital Patient in England.

At University Hospital of North Staffordshire, in England, Olive Hamer was killed due to being given double the amount of prescription blood thinners. Catherine Ball of The Sentinel wrote an article describing how a " Prescription mix-up" led to the death of the mother of two.

Hamer, age 74, underwent total right hip replacement, but after surgery was given the wrong concentration of Heparin, an anticoagulant. She was given twice as much as she needed; also, the dosing mistake was not noticed for more than 24 hours.

After three hours it was noticed that she had been given too potent of a dosage, so the drip was stopped, and was supposed to be replaced with the proper dosage. Instead, the nurse improperly read the doctor's note and asked a colleague to make up the same incorrect dose. Coroner Ian Smith recorded the verdict of death was the result of "complications of post-operative bleeding aggravated by Heparin drug therapy".  Smith told Hadi Shams, doctor who wrote the Heparin prescription, "I find it difficult how you as a doctor can prescribe one thing and a nurse can interpret that incorrectly."

This is yet another sad example of a fatal mistake made by a trusted Medical doctor not writing a clear prescription and a nurse that failed to ask for clarification, leading to the death of an unsuspecting patient.