A medication error is a preventable mistake involving a drug's prescribing, dispensing, labeling, dosing, administration, or monitoring that can harm a patient or create a serious risk of harm.

It can happen at almost any step: a doctor orders the wrong medicine, a pharmacist fills the wrong strength, a nurse gives a dose to the wrong patient, or a hospital misses a dangerous interaction with another drug. Some errors are obvious, like a tenfold overdose. Others are quieter but no less serious, such as failing to adjust medication for kidney disease, overlooking an allergy, or not warning a patient how to take a prescription safely. The paperwork may look tidy; the outcome may not.

In an injury claim, a medication error can support a medical malpractice case if a provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure caused injury. Proof often turns on records, medication logs, pharmacy labels, and expert witness opinions about what should have happened. Harm may include worsened illness, organ damage, stroke, bleeding, or death.

In New York, these cases are generally subject to the medical malpractice statute of limitations in CPLR 214-a, usually 2 years and 6 months from the malpractice or end of continuous treatment. If the injury leads to large future-damages awards, CPLR Article 50-A can require structured payments for amounts over $250,000.