Pharmacies take care of dispensing the medications that help people to stay healthy and treat all kinds of conditions and health concerns. Many people take for granted that pharmacists have a significant duty of care that they need to maintain in order to care for their patients. This duty of care makes sure that there are no errors that can lead to serious injury or even death.
Pharmacy errors are commonly related to dispensing issues that can lead to serious health issues. You might think that these issues are not common but they actually happen more often than you think. There are many reasons that errors can be made in the pharmacy, from distractions in the work environment, fatigue, and other issues with the pharmacy workflow.
If you want to learn more about the most common dispensing errors, read on for more information.
Pharmacy errors can be related to many kinds of mistakes. Any time that your pharmacist makes an error or mistake, this is considered to be a pharmacy error. These errors can lead to serious injury or even death.
Pharmacy errors can sometimes be linked with medical malpractice as well, and you should always seek the advice of a lawyer when you think that a pharmacy error might have been the reason for your injury. Your lawyer will know if your injuries are the result of pharmacy negligence.
Pharmacy negligence cases can be expensive to see through but they are well-worth pursuing if you have been harmed through this more serious kind of pharmaceutical error. Your lawyer will be able to help you to seek the right kind of compensation for your particular injury situation. There are various kinds of pharmacy error claims that you might need to get help with from a lawyer.
Dispensing errors are specifically related to issues related to how the medications are dispensed. There are other factors related to a pharmacist’s duty of care, but dispensing errors can be the most common problem that you might experience when you are harmed through a pharmacy error.
1. Dispensing the Wrong Medication
Many medications look the same and it can be easy to mistake one white pill for another. Your pharmacist has a duty to make sure that they are dispensing the right medications at all times to each patient. Sometimes the wrong medication is dispensed due to handwriting that is hard to read as well.
The wrong medication being given to a patient can lead to serious issues and even death. This is why it is so important for your pharmacist to check on the medication that you are supposed to be taking.
2. Dispensing the Wrong Dosage
Dosage can vary per person related to your needs and your size but it can also vary related to the form that your medication is being taken in. Your pharmacist should always check your medical chart to make sure that the dosage that you are receiving makes sense for your health, height and weight.
Pharmacists should always make sure that they reach out to your doctor if the dosage doesn’t seem right. You should always be given the right advice about the dosage at the time that you pick up your medication and you should have clear labels on all your medication that state the dose clearly.
3. Incorrect Information Entered In Computer
Data entry issues can lead to all kinds of pharmacy errors. Dispensing errors can be the result of incorrectly entered medication information when paper prescriptions are put into the computer that prints the labels for your medications.
Your pharmacist should always double-check every label that is made with the use of the computer system for errors. There are many ways that you can experience a pharmacy injury related to data entry issues that happen when your medication is entered into the computer.
4. Drug Interactions Missed
Drug interactions can be life-threatening and your pharmacist should always look at your other medications to see if there are other medications in your daily regimen that will interact negatively with the one that your doctor has requested. Drug interactions are a big factor in the safety of dispensing medications.
Patients should not have to feel responsible for their own drug interaction research, but it is always a good idea to ask questions if you think that one of your medications might interact with this new drug that you are going to take. Your pharmacist should always be able to advise you accurately about drug interactions.
5. Failure to Counsel
Counsel is part of the process of giving a medication to a patient and your pharmacist must always give you medical and dosing information related to the drug that they are giving you. This is particularly true if you have never had the medication before.
Counsel is actually a part of your pharmacist’s duty of care to each patient and you should never leave without getting counsel about your medication. Always make sure that you ask any questions that you might have about the medication when you are able to talk to the pharmacist about the drug. This can prevent issues that can lead to serious health concerns or even death, so it is worth asking any questions that you might have at this time.
If you have been harmed through a pharmacy error, you should always seek the advice of a skilled lawyer. The right lawyer and law practice can advise you about the best ways to work on your case and can help you to get the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
Kennedy Law Firm can help you with your pharmacy error needs and make sure that you get the compensation that you deserve for your pharmacy injuries. Call us for a consultation today to make sure that you get the help that you need after your pharmacy injury.
Pharmacy errors can cause death or significant health concerns. If you think that you have been harmed due to a
Pharmacy negligence results in 1.5 million injuries to people in the US each year. These errors happen in the hospital
Pharmacists are required by law and by definition of their duties to provide specific care to their customers and patients
