Brandon Pharmacy Malpractice Lawyer
As patients, we place an enormous amount of faith in pharmacists to fill our prescriptions properly by giving us the proper type, amount, and dosage of medication. When this trust is betrayed by a negligent or careless pharmacy, the consequences can be devastating. To learn more about your legal options following an injury caused by a pharmacist’s negligence, please contact one of our Brandon pharmacy malpractice lawyers today.
Common Medication Errors
The most common medication errors committed by pharmacists include:
- Filling a prescription with the incorrect dosage or the wrong type of medication;
- Giving patients inaccurate advice when dispensing medications;
- Putting the wrong prescription label on a bottle of medication;
- Failing to explain side effects to patients;
- Failing to communicate with the prescribing doctor over a medication-related concern; and
- Failing to take note of a patient’s current medications and drug history or to track multiple prescriptions.
These kinds of mistakes can have a number of different causes, but most pharmacy malpractice claims can be attributed to a lack of clear communication between prescribing doctors and pharmacists, a lack of pharmacist supervision, improper training, or a failure to implement necessary protocols and procedures.
Injuries Caused by Pharmacy Malpractice
Failing to recognize the adverse effects of combining certain medications, ignoring a patient’s history, or dispensing the wrong medication can have serious consequences for patients, including:
- Allergic reactions;
- Birth defects;
- Heart failure or heart attack;
- Miscarriage;
- Organ failure; and
- Seizures.
Some of these adverse reactions will manifest immediately. Allergic reactions, for instance, are almost always accompanied by rashes and difficulty breathing. Other complications, however, could take months before they become apparent. Expectant mothers, for example, who are dispensed the wrong medication could suffer a miscarriage or give birth to a child with a permanent birth defect.
Potential Liability
A number of individuals are involved in the medication use system, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and pharmacy employees. Pharmacies, in particular, can be held liable for damages if their actions result in an injury to a patient. Potentially liable individuals include:
- Pharmacists who fails to keep accurate records, discuss a drug’s proper use or potential side effects, or use accurate labels;
- Pharmacy employees who failed to properly record a patient’s information or use reasonable care in labeling bottles; and
- A hospital or medical facility where the pharmacy operated if a plaintiff’s injury can be linked to the entity’s failure to properly oversee operations or hire qualified employees.
These entities and individuals can be required to compensate injured patients for their injury-related losses, including reimbursement for past and future medical expenses, loss of income, rehabilitation costs, loss of services, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and wrongful death.
Call Today for Help with Your Pharmacy Malpractice-Related Questions
To set up an initial consultation with an experienced Brandon pharmacy malpractice lawyer, who can evaluate your case and explain your legal options, please contact us at Palmer | Lopez We can be reached at our office by calling 813-506-5651 or via online message.
