PHARMACY LIABILITY: COMMON PRESCRIPTION MISTAKES

Pharmacy negligence is a big source of personal injury claims. Pharmacists are highly trained individuals with a special responsibility to ensure the health and safety of those they serve. When they are careless in this duty, they can be held responsible for any injuries or deaths they cause.

Here are some of the most common pharmacy mistakes:

Dispensing the wrong dosage of medication. This occurs when the pharmacist gives a patient too high or too low a dose of medication. Often, this is the result of negligent pharmacy policies that may value speed and volume over patient safety.
Dispensing the wrong kind of medication. A pharmacist may accidentally fill a prescription with the wrong medication. Poor penmanship, improper abbreviations, or labeling errors may cause this error.
Confusing drugs that have similar names. The FDA has acknowledged that this is a widespread problem. This type of error could have serious consequences for patients in need of timely treatment.

Failing to protect against harmful drug interactions. Pharmacists are supposed to warn patients of any potential drug interactions with other medicines they are taking when dispensing a new medication. Failure to do so could result in dangerous mixes of drugs that could potentially make the patient very ill.
Miscommunications between pharmacists and physicians. This type of error occurs when a pharmacist fails to confirm that a patient is not allergic to a medication, fails to verify prescription information with the prescribing doctor, or fails to learn of other medications that the patient is taking.
Failure to identify drug allergies. Failing to identify if a patient is allergic to a drug or any of its ingredients could be potentially deadly.

If you believe that you or a loved one has been harmed by pharmacy negligence, you should speak with an attorney about your potential case. The Florida Law Group has more than a century of combined experience handling all types of professional negligence cases, and has the knowledge, skill, and resources necessary to pursue maximum compensation on your behalf. Our Tampa personal injury attorneys are standing by to offer you immediate help. Schedule your free case evaluation today.