Pharmacy Errors
HOLDING NEGLIGENT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ACCOUNTABLE in virginia
Pharmacy malpractice is more common than it might seem. Surveys show that nearly half of all Americans 12 years old or older take prescription pain relievers, sedatives, stimulants, or tranquilizers.
That’s 119 million Americans who visit pharmacies in Virginia and all across the country. With such a massive number of people visiting pharmacies, there is a high risk of becoming a victim of pharmacy error.
While some of these pharmacy errors are purely accidental, others are the result of a pharmacist’s failure to adhere to the established standards of care. According to the Food and Drug Administration, about 1.3 million Americans are harmed by medication errors every year.
While a medication error as a result of a pharmacist’s malpractice may seem harmless, it can actually cause devastating and life-threatening complications. For this reason, you need a Fairfax pharmacy errors attorney by your side if you suspect that a pharmaceutical mistake occurred when prescribing, dispensing, administering, repackaging, or monitoring.
Here at Jones & Rostant, PC, our medical malpractice lawyers from the Virginia-based law firm can help you sue the negligent pharmacist and recover financial compensation for the resulting harm.
Types of Pharmacy Errors That Constitute Malpractice
Causes and types of pharmacy malpractice vary from one case to another, but the following are more common than others:
Incorrect dosage. A pharmacist may negligently fill a prescription with a dose that is actually higher or lower than what was prescribed by the patient’s primary physician.
Prescription error. Pharmacy errors that occur when a pharmacist fills the wrong prescription are also quite common.
Giving out the wrong prescription. A patient may also suffer preventable harm if the pharmacist accidentally gives out the wrong prescription or switches prescriptions between two patients with similar conditions.
Communication errors. A pharmacist has a duty to disclose all relevant information to the patient about possible complications and drug interactions.
Failure to consider the patient’s medical history. Dispensing a drug to a patient with a known allergy to that medication can result in serious injury. A pharmacist must take into account a patient’s medical history when dispensing medications.
Injuries Caused by Pharmacy Errors
There is a long list of injuries that can occur due to pharmacy errors. Some of them appear immediately, while others can take months or years to develop:
Organ failure
Allergic reactions
Bleeding
Birth defects
Overdose
Addiction
Death
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Pharmacy Error?
There may be multiple parties who can be held responsible for a pharmacy mistake that caused harm to a patient:
A pharmacist filling the wrong prescription, prescribing the wrong dosage, failing to warn of risks and side effects, or making any other pharmacy error.
Pharmacy employees who failed to properly label medications or entered a patient’s information incorrectly.
The doctor who prescribed the wrong medication or dosage or failed to keep correct records of the patient’s medical history and medication use.
Drug manufacturers for failing to warn of possible side effects, negative drug interactions, or inappropriate labeling of the medication.
Call our Virginia pharmacy errors lawsuit lawyers at (703) 352-0522 for a free case review.
Talk to a Fairfax pharmacy error attorney from Jones & Rostant, PC, to discover your legal options. Go to our contact us page or call at (703) 352-0522 to determine if your injury qualifies for a medical malpractice suit.