south florida pharmacy error attorneys

How to Catch Pharmacy Errors Before They Hurt You – Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorneys

South Florida Personal Injury Attorneys

Did you ever make a measurement mistake while following a recipe? A common one is to confuse teaspoon (tsp) with tablespoon (tbsp) and sometimes while making baked goods it can make a big difference in the outcome. Still, a little too much baking soda or not enough vegetable oil probably won’t cause a major health issue.

A mistake like that with prescription medication may cause serious harm or death.

We have always advocated that patients be their own watchdogs in addition to asking questions and verifying everything with their own doctors and pharmacists. Doctors, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians are trained to be accurate, but the Food and Drug Administration estimates that 1.3 million people are injured by medication errors annually in the U.S. – Source: AARP.org

According to DrugTopics.com a pharmacist reported making a mistake that involved mixing up the dosage for a very powerful pain killer. The medicine was dispensed for an infant and the error involved a mix-up of milliliter and teaspoon measurements. It’s important to note that one milliliter is equal to 0.202884 teaspoons. This particular error could have been fatal.

Another error that has happened too many times involves a “called-in refill” where a pharmacy refills a prescription that has actually been replaced by a new medication. In one instance the patient was having adverse reactions to a medication and the doctor changed to a new one. The pharmacy refilled the old one and the patient became very ill.

Sometimes pharmacists and doctors may be unaware of a patient’s pre-existing conditions or other medications. In one case a patient that had recently undergone chemotherapy was prescribed a medication that was totallyPersonal Injury - Pharmacy Negligence inappropriate for such a situation. The patient, doctor, and pharmacist never communicated what was going on and once again there was a very bad reaction and the patient nearly died.

Communication and verification are key elements to avoid prescription medication errors and injuries. Take the time to ask your doctor what is being prescribed, why it is being prescribed, and make absolutely sure your doctor is 100% aware of every medication you are taking, even if it’s over-the-counter.

When you pick up your prescription don’t hesitate to ask the pharmacist questions. Make sure the right pills are in the right bottle and that the dose is correct. If your doctor prescribed 100 milligrams per pill of a medicine make sure you didn’t get 500 milligrams. It is your right to have a consultation with your pharmacist.

One of the most common errors patients make is forgetting to take a pill or other medication or taking it twice in one day when the directions call for only once. A daily pill counter can help with these situations. Make sure all medications are stored where children cannot get to them.

The AARP has published a helpful page online: What You Can Do to Avoid Medication Errors

Always maintain and carry with you a complete and current list of every medication you take, even if it’s aspirin or vitamins. If something happens and you are rushed to the hospital they medical professionals who treat you will need to know your situation. Also, while you can’t carry around your complete medical history, it is a good idea to write the dates of previous surgeries and major events. For example, if you had heart bypass surgery ten years earlier, the doctors in an emergency should know that.

South Florida Pharmacy Error Attorneys

Lazarus & Lazarus Law Firm has helped victims of prescription medication errors by healthcare professionals since the start of our firm in 1992. We have also helped people who have been harmed by bad drugs. If you or someone you know has received an incorrect prescription drug please reach out to us at (954) 356-0006 and we will use our experience and knowledge to investigate what happened and how.

 

Florida Pharmacy Error Attorneys

Drive-Thru Danger at the Pharmacy – Florida Pharmacy Error Attorneys Lazarus and Lazarus

Florida Pharmacy Error Attorneys

If you go to the drive-thru at McDonald’s and they give you the wrong burger, it’s not the end of the world. But a mistake at the pharmacy drive-thru might cause you real pain, suffering, and perhaps even death.

Americans filled a record 5.8 billion prescriptions in 2018 — at a rate of 17.6 prescriptions per person — up 2.7% over 2017, according to a report published at Medscape.com. Depending on how many pharmacists there are actually completing all those orders, it seems reasonable to assume that mistakes will be made, and they are.

Florida Pharmacy Error AttorneysIt’s important to understand that medication mistakes are made at different stages along the way after a patient is issued a prescription by a physician or a nurse practitioner in a hospital, at an office, or by phone or computer.

  1. Sometimes a specific details of a prescription are improperly read by the pharmacy or pharmacist. High volumes of orders may cause employees to be overloaded and they simply push the wrong button on the computer. Imagine someone hitting an extra zero and receiving 1000 mg of a medication instead of the 100 mg intended. These types of mistakes are supposed to be caught but sometimes they aren’t.
  2. Studies show that a common error at the pharmacy involves label errors. Incorrect labeling happens when the wrong label is put on a bottle of pills and it therefore goes to the wrong patient. Other common pharmacy errors include incorrect instructions to the patient on when and how often to take the medication.
  3. There are instances where a patient will not read the instructions completely or there will be a failure to understand the proper time and frequency directions from the doctor. This is why we urge people to take time to speak with the pharmacist and ask questions. Always make sure your doctor and your pharmacist are aware of all medications you take, including over-the-counter products, so they cam make sure there are adverse reactions.

Having a proper consultation with your pharmacist is where the issue of “drive-through” pharmacy windows becomes an issue. It is almost impossible to have a meaningful discussion with a pharmacist through a window. People behind you may be honking and it’s just not a system designed for accurate communication.

A Very Disturbing Pharmacy Error

According to the Pharmacy Times:

The clerk handling the transaction at a drive-through window of a community pharmacy in a Southern state erroneously gave 2 prescriptions for a patient with the same last name to the spouse of a patient. The patient suffered from Alzheimer disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The medications dispensed in error were alprazolam and sertraline. Those were administered to the patient by his wife at about 11 pm, and at 4 am, she heard him calling her name. She found him on the floor near the front door with nothing around that constituted a tripping hazard. Nothing in the area accounted for his fall.

He could not get up. An ambulance was called, and it was discovered at the emergency department that he had a broken hip, requiring emergency surgery.

If you think a mistake was made regarding prescription medication or that of a loved one, please feel free to call us and ask questions. We have been working for victims of pharmacy errors, medical malpractice, and other negligence since 1992 and we understand these situations. Let us recommend the best course of action because there is no acceptable mistake when it comes to medical care. Our number is 954-356-0006.