Nearly 2.5 billion prescriptions were dispensed by pharmacies in the United
States in 1998. Statistics on annual deaths due to medication errors vary anywhere
from 44,000 to 98,000 deaths annually. Many factors can cause errors in prescribing
medications: unrealistic workloads, too many distractions from ringing telephones
and customers, poor penmanship by physicians and inadequate technician assistance.
Another major issue is that of drugs with similar names and packaging.
A study of 500 pharmacists done by The Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company showed
that 52% of errors were due to the wrong drug being dispensed, 27% were from
the wrong strength being dispensed and 7.4% were due to wrong directions being
given. A pharmacist who officially fills a prescription may be responsible for
incorrectly filling a prescription that causes injury or death because he or
she breached the standard of care. Also any technical or clerical co-workers
of the pharmacist who failed to act in accordance with proper procedures can
be potentially liable. The employing pharmacy can be held liable for the harm
caused by the employee in the course and scope of employment. Some states also
require pharmacists to counsel with drugstore customers about their prescriptions
and its side effects. Some times this is not done or done improperly. A pharmacist
can be liable for recommending an improper drug to a customer, which caused harm
to that customer. Also a pharmacist has an obligation to detect a combination
of drugs that would likely harm a patient. A pharmacist can also be required
to recognize when a physician has written a prescription that on its face would
be outside the normal dosages recommended by the manufacturer.
Medication errors can also be made by nurses or doctors by the use of contraindicated
medications, overdoses, allergic reactions or combining medications improperly.
Claims against a pharmacist or pharmacy are complicated and
specialized in nature. That is why it is important to hire an attorney to tackle
these complex legal issues and to protect your interests. The attorneys at
LAW OFFICES
OF MATHYS & SCHNEID can
do just that for you. You can concentrate on the important things: getting yourself
healthy and returning to your day-to-day life while our attorneys take care of
the complicated legal issues so that you don't have to worry. The attorneys at
Law Offices of Mathys & Schneid will
protect your interests and work hard to get you the most money possible.
 Contact
Us
It is important if you or a loved one has been a victim
of medical malpractice you should immediately contact LAW OFFICES
OF MATHYS & SCHNEID who
can advise you of your rights and begin to work aggressively to maximize your
monetary recovery. Insurance companies hire attorneys to defend those doctors
or hospitals responsible for causing your injuries. You also need an attorney
whose sole responsibility is to protect your interests.
For more information about personal injury lawsuits in particular
or any of our other practice areas, please contact us at ( 630) 428-4040 for
a free office consultation, or fill out our free
online consultation form.
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