Can pharmacists be held accountable for medical malpractice?
The majority of people envision doctors and hospitals being held accountable for harming patients when they think of medical misconduct. Some medical malpractice cases are based on these events, but other parties are also potentially at fault.
Pharmacists and pharmacies are healthcare organizations that can be held liable for financial damages if they act negligently and cause injury to patients.
Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to financial compensation if you or your loved one suffered because of a pharmacist’s negligence. Get in touch with DDR Lawyers to learn more about your legal options.
Here are a few of the most prevalent circumstances in which a pharmacist is held responsible for another person’s damage.
Incorrect Dose Dispensing
A pharmacist can overdose a patient if they give them a too-high dose of medication. Sometimes, the pharmacist delivers too little medication, leaving the patient without all the necessary medicines. Consequently, their health may deteriorate.
Irresponsible dispensing of medications
The pharmacist can mistakenly dispense the wrong medication for many reasons. Among the most common mistakes are unreadable doctor handwriting, incorrect labeling, and erroneous abbreviations.
The condition that a patient is suffering from will go untreated if they are given the incorrect medication. Another possibility is that they are allergic to the medication they are taking, or that the pill interferes with other drugs.
Confusion over drugs
According to the Food and Medicine Administration (FDA), there is a risk of mistaking one drug for another due to similar names. Patients will suffer the same consequences as those described above due to taking the incorrect medication.
Not warning of interactions
Pharmacists are significantly more knowledgeable about the drugs they sell than patients are. They must recognize whether a patient is taking a medication that will have a bad interaction with another.
In either case, they must inform the patient or work with the patient’s physician to find an alternative medicine that will not react.
Not identifying allergies
If a patient has any pharmaceutical allergies, they should always inform their pharmacist. Each time a new medication is handed out to a patient, the caregiver should thoroughly consider the patient’s medical history, including allergies.
Patients may experience adverse reactions if they neglect to do so. Some allergic reactions are extremely dangerous, and some can even be fatal.
Directions that are inaccurate or incomplete
It is important that patients follow the instructions for taking their medications. This could endanger the patient’s life if the instructions are missing or incomplete.