According to the FDA, over a million people are unintentionally harmed every year by doctors, hospitals and pharmacists because of improper medication use. They go on to say that many problems are caused by prescription labels that are misunderstood by the caregiver. Patients are endangered on a daily basis by dispensing errors that can occur.
These not only take place at the neighborhood pharmacy, but they can take place by the physician. Even though the pharmacist is the ultimate authority in dispensing drugs, pharmaceutical assistants play a significant role in the process of filing prescriptions and dispensing them. A pharmacy mistake is a very serious and dangerous matter.
Palm Desert Medication Error Lawyers of Coachella Valley
Because of the indecipherable handwriting of many physicians, an improper medication can be dispensed or a wrong prescription can be called in by a nurse.
Improper Prescription
Studies that are being done show that about 5% of all prescriptions filled yearly are not correct. Pharmacy malpractice suits are becoming more and more. Pharmacy malpractice occurs when a pharmacist breaches the standard of care that is expected. The most common is when a patient receives an improper prescription because the pharmacist or staff wrote it down wrong – causing serious physical conditions and sometimes death.
Statistics show that about four out of every thousand prescriptions written by a doctor include a mistake. It is scary, but some doctors do not remember to adjust a prescription according to the patient’s condition or they forget the patient is allergic to something. A doctor can prescribe the wrong dosage or just the wrong drug, and hurt the patient.
Wrong Dosage
Pharmacy malpractice consists of distributing the correct medication, but the wrong dosage. It is very important for the pharmacist to use the correct dosage – even a small change can result in serious problems for the patient. A patient should discuss the medication and dosage with his or her doctor before leaving the office – check this information before accepting the medication from the pharmacy.
Another person’s prescription
Receiving another person’s prescription in error is a serious concern. This can happen when the pharmacist or the staff is very busy – not an excuse, but it can happen. Again, check your medication at the pharmacy to make sure your name is on the label.
If you are the victim of an improper prescription, whether it is the fault of the doctor of the pharmacist, you should seek legal counsel right away. Pharmacy malpractice is a serious offense and you need to contact an experienced Palm Springs medication error attorney who is familiar with pharmacy malpractice law. You may have the right to receive compensation for any damages incurred.
The Office of Dale Gribow has experience standing by the side of patients wronged by medication mistakes and errors, which results in injuries or even death. We have an in-depth understanding of how this type of mistake can happen and the toll it plays on the victim and his or her family.