Common Pharmacy Errors That Result in Malpractice Cases

Medical malpractice lawsuits can be the result of many different kinds of incorrect actions that are taken by medical professionals. In the case of pharmacy malpractice, medications that have been dispensed incorrectly have caused harm or even death.

Many people are not aware that pharmacy errors can cause malpractice, but this is sadly quite common. Pharmacists need to be certain that they have dispensed the right medications to patients and that they have given them the right dosages of those medications.

This situation can be complicated by drug interactions that do sometimes happen in rare cases to certain people. Read on to learn more about common pharmacy errors that lead to malpractice cases.

Common Pharmacy Errors 

• Administering the wrong medication to the wrong patient
• Administering the wrong dosage of a medication
• Mislabeling the medication bottle or quoting the wrong dose
• Prescribing a medication that the person is allergic to
• Prescribing a medication that interacts with another medication the patient is already taking
• Failing to educate the patient about common side effects of a medication

How to Tell Who is Liable

There are many people who are involved in the process of prescribing a medication. The doctor who orders the medication, the pharmacist who fills it, and the people working in the pharmacy who advise about drug interactions might all be responsible for a malpractice case.

The doctor or nurses at the clinic can also be accountable for this kind of malpractice, but it is just as common for the pharmacist to be responsible for the accident. Doctor’s handwriting used to be a common source of confusion which could lead to a malpractice case, but this has been largely eliminated due to the development of computer-assisted prescriptions.

Data entry can still cause problems to do with prescribing the wrong medication and many medications look very similar when they are being processed. Checks and balances that should prevent these kinds of errors are sometimes not enough to prevent a mix up inside the pharmacy.

Determining who is liable is a difficult process and your attorney will do the research needed to figure out who is the responsible party. You cannot seek damages in a malpractice case without first figuring out who is liable for your accident.

A Skilled Attorney Can Help You With Your Malpractice Case

You should always seek the right legal representation when you have experienced an injury related to a pharmaceutical product. Having the right lawyer on your side will make it possible for you to seek a settlement to cover your time away from work, your medical bills, or for lifelong complications that you are now faced with due to the accident.

A lawyer who is skilled in medical malpractice will help you to navigate the process of investigating your injury to determine liability and they will represent you when your case goes to trial or when a settlement is negotiated for your injuries. Having the right legal counsel is essential to seeking a settlement award for your medical malpractice case.