Common Types of Pharmacy Malpractice

Personal Injury Lawyer

Many people believe that medical malpractice cases only involve doctors and surgeons. However, other medical professionals can also be negligent, including pharmacists. Pharmacists must go through extensive training to ensure they adhere to specific guidelines to keep their patients safe. If they fail to act with due care, they risk their patients’ safety.

Here are the common types of pharmacy malpractice.

Dispensing the Wrong Dosage

Before giving patients their prescribed medication, a pharmacist must dispense the correct dosage. If the pharmacist gives a larger dosage than prescribes or gives instruction to take the drug too many times, a patient can overdose.

Dispensing the Wrong Drug

Believe it or not, sometimes patients leave the pharmacy with the wrong medication. This is more likely to happen when two patients have similar names. The pharmacist may be more likely to mix up the names and dispense the wrong medication. The pharmacist is also more likely to dispense the wrong medication if the prescription is difficult to read or a prescription is similar to another prescription.

Not Providing Adequate Counseling

Pharmacists have a duty to provide patients with specific instructions about how and when to take their medication. If they don’t give proper instructions, patients might not know exactly how much of the drug to take and take too much or too little.

Failing to Ask About Allergies

It’s important for pharmacists to find out if patients have any allergies that would keep them from taking a medication safely. If they assume that the doctor has already asked the patient about allergies and dispenses the drug anyway, they might miss dangerous drug allergies.

Not Catching a Drug Interaction

Pharmacists have a duty to know about possible adverse reactions to medications and possible interactions with other drugs. They must be aware of risk factors for a bad reaction and give patients the proper warnings. If they don’t do this, patients are in danger of experiencing complications, like nausea, diarrhea, bleeding, dizziness and trouble breathing.

Were You a Victim of Pharmacy Malpractice?

If you are the victim of pharmacy malpractice, you may be eligible for compensation. It’s important to discuss your case with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer, like a medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. He or she can help you file a timely claim and improve your chances of getting the compensation you deserve. Your lawyer will handle all communication with the insurance company, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.