Tag: medication errors

The Need for Speed Can Lead to Dangerous Pharmacy Errors

The Need for Speed Can Lead to Dangerous Pharmacy Errors

The Need for Speed Can Lead to Dangerous Pharmacy ErrorsMisfilled prescriptions and other pharmacy errors can have serious health consequences for patients on the receiving end of a prescription. Pharmacists can make a number of critical mistakes between the time they receive a prescription from a doctor or patient and the time they give the medication to the patient, including:

  • providing the wrong medication; this can happen due to an illegible or misread prescription, or filling a prescription with a similarly-named but dramatically different drug
  • providing the wrong dosage
  • failing to provide instructions or providing the wrong instructions
  • giving a patient someone else’s prescription, often because of patients with similar names

Time Guarantees Almost Guarantee Mistakes

One of the biggest drivers of pharmacy errors is the pressure to fill prescriptions as quickly as possible. This pressure on pharmacists comes from above and below – customers who expect fast service and the employers who make more money the more prescriptions are filled.

Sometimes, those two complementary pressures merge, and a pharmacy will make promises or guarantees to customers that prescriptions will be filled within a specific time.

A survey of pharmacists conducted in 2012 by the American Pharmacists Association (APA) reflected the concern for patient safety that these professionals have as a result of the need for speed. As reported in the survey:

  • Almost two-thirds of pharmacists reported that their pharmacy offers time guarantees, ranging from one prescription per hour to 10 prescriptions in 10 minutes
  • 83% of pharmacists working at pharmacies with advertised time guarantees reported that the time guarantee was a contributing factor to dispensing errors; almost half of them (49%) felt this contributing factor was significant.
  • 44% of pharmacists working in pharmacies with time guarantees reported a dispensing error they were personally involved in, which was directly attributed to rushing to fulfill the time guarantee.

The APA as well as 89% of the survey respondents wanted to ban time guarantees due to the risk such promises had on patient safety. As the APA put it, “In the end, the unrushed pharmacist will be the accurate pharmacist, and the unhurried patient will be the safe patient.”

At Greening Law, P.C. in Dallas, we use such extensive knowledge, training, and experience to help individuals and families who have suffered because a pharmacy has breached its duty of care to its patients and misfiled prescriptions. If you have questions or concerns regarding misfiled prescriptions or other pharmaceutical errors, please give attorney Robert Greening a call at (972) 934-8900 or fill out our online form to arrange for your free initial consultation.

Two Ways to Prevent Medication Errors

Two Ways to Prevent Medication Errors

According to one estimate, 1.5 million people were harmed by medication errors in 2011 alone, with 100,000 people dying as a result.

There are many types of medication errors committed by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. These can include prescribing an inappropriate dosage or failing to check for allergies or interactions with other medications.

However, patients can help prevent doctors and pharmacists from making errors by asking questions or taking other simple steps.

The Mayo Clinic has some sound guidance for all of us as to how we can play an active role in helping our doctors avoid medication mistakes:

  • Ask questions. When your doctor tells you that they are going to prescribe a medication for you, it is important that you educate yourself about what it is that you will soon be putting into your body. Ask your doctor about the medication, including these questions:
  • What is the brand or generic name of the medication?
  • What is it supposed to do? How long will it be until I see results?
  • What is the dose? How long should I take it?
  • Are there any foods, drinks, other medications or activities I should avoid while taking this medicine?
  • What are the possible side effects? What should I do if they occur?
  • What should I do if I miss a dose?
  • What should I do if I accidentally take more than the recommended dose?
  • Will this new medication interfere with my other medication(s) and how?
  • Make sure your doctor knows the whole picture. Some of the biggest problems with prescription medication occur because of the interaction of multiple prescriptions. That is why you need to practice “medication reconciliation” with your doctor. Tell your doctor the following:
    • The names of all medications you’re taking, including all prescription medications, herbs, vitamins, nutritional supplements, over-the-counter drugs, vaccines and anything received intravenously, including diagnostic and contrast agents, radioactive medications, feeding tube supplements and blood products
    • Any medications that you’re allergic to or that have caused problems for you in the past
    • Whether you have any chronic or serious health problems
    • If you might be pregnant or you’re trying to become pregnant

At Greening Law, P.C. in Dallas, we help individuals and families who have suffered because of medication errors. If you have questions or concerns regarding misfiled prescriptions or other pharmaceutical errors, please give attorney Robert Greening a call at (972) 934-8900 or fill out our online form to arrange for your free initial consultation.

 

The Dangers of Wrong Prescriptions

The Dangers of Wrong Prescriptions

According to one estimate, 1.5 million people were harmed by medication errors in 2011 alone, with 100,000 people dying as a result.

There are many types of medication errors committed by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. These can include prescribing an inappropriate dosage or failing to check for allergies or interactions with other medications.

However, patients can help prevent doctors and pharmacists from making errors by asking questions or taking other simple steps.

The Mayo Clinic has some sound guidance for all of us as to how we can play an active role in helping our doctors avoid medication mistakes:

Ask Questions

Ask questions. When your doctor tells you that they are going to prescribe a medication for you, it is important that you educate yourself about what it is that you will soon be putting into your body. Ask your doctor about the medication, including these questions:

  • What is the brand or generic name of the medication?
  • What is it supposed to do? How long will it be until I see results?
  • What is the dose? How long should I take it?
  • Are there any foods, drinks, other medications or activities I should avoid while taking this medicine?
  • What are the possible side effects? What should I do if they occur?
  • What should I do if I miss a dose?
  • What should I do if I accidentally take more than the recommended dose?
  • Will this new medication interfere with my other medication(s) and how?

Make sure your doctor knows the whole picture

Some of the biggest problems with prescription medication occur because of the interaction of multiple prescriptions. That is why you need to practice “medication reconciliation” with your doctor. Tell your doctor the following:

  • The names of all medications you’re taking, including all prescription medications, herbs, vitamins, nutritional supplements, over-the-counter drugs, vaccines and anything received intravenously, including diagnostic and contrast agents, radioactive medications, feeding tube supplements and blood products
  • Any medications that you’re allergic to or that have caused problems for you in the past
  • Whether you have any chronic or serious health problems
  • If you might be pregnant or you’re trying to become pregnant

GreeningLaw Medication and Pharamacy Malpractice

At Greening Law, P.C. in Dallas, we help individuals and families who have suffered because of medication errors. If you have questions or concerns regarding misfiled prescriptions or other pharmaceutical errors, please give attorney Robert Greening a call at (972) 934-8900 or fill out our online form to arrange for your free initial consultation.