How pharmacy medication mistakes cause medical malpractice. If you rely on prescriptions for short or long-term health concerns, you might want to practice a little discernment when choosing a pharmacy. Medication errors are a common cause of pharmacy/medical malpractice that affects many lives.

Pharmacists and their staff must adhere to the highest standard of care when performing their duties. Even so, issues do arise that result in unsuspecting patients suffering injury or dying from pharmacist negligence. Here is a rundown of how pharmacy medical malpractice can occur.

Drug interactions

The use of medications carries a risk of complications and side effects that could increase or occur when taken with other medications or substances. To help minimize the event of adverse drug reactions and interactions, the law requires medical professional, especially pharmacists to thoroughly screen patient medical histories and vet their medications. They must also provide written instruction on proper use.

Dispensing wrong medicine

It is no surprise that pharmacists, pharmacy techs and even doctors and nurses make mistakes with medication identification that result in patients receiving the wrong medications. Common factors that cause medication mismatch errors include similar color, shape, markings or size and names.

Improper dosage guidelines

Patients rely on the expertise of doctors and pharmacists to provide them with proper medication and dosages. Clerical errors, a lack of thorough medical and medication histories and other issues frequently lead to some patients taking their medicines and suffering worsening of symptoms or additional injuries before realizing dosing discrepancies.

Medical malpractice that occurs due to pharmacy negligence is not always preventable. However, carefully screening your pharmacy options before filling your prescriptions is necessary to protect your health and well-being. If you have questions on how pharmacy medication mistakes cause medical malpractice. Contact Us Today at 508-809-7555.