Austin Injury Attorney Reveals 5 Common Pharmacy Errors in Texas

Modern medicine saves millions of lives each year. However, this is only true if people take the right drugs and dosages for their conditions. Of the 1.5 million Americans who take the wrong medicine every year, at least 1.3 million develop serious complications because of it, according to the National Patient Safety Foundation. This can lead to exorbitant medical bills and diminish their quality of life.

If you are the victim of a medical mistake, contact the Luke Dow Law Firm. Mr. Dow is an Austin injury attorney who can investigate your claim, gather evidence and handle settlement negotiations on your behalf.

Call 512-518-4104 to schedule a consultation. You can also visit the USAttorneys website to learn more about medical malpractice claims.

Here are five common pharmacy errors in Texas:

1. Giving Medication to the Wrong Patient

Patients receive the incorrect medications far too often. If a pharmacist makes a mistake with your name, you may receive somebody else’s medication. Unfortunately, many people have the same names.

Always check your prescriptions. Make sure that your name is on each of your medications.

2. Dispensing the Incorrect Medicine

According to the Modern Medicine Network, 43.8 percent of all pharmaceutical complications happen because pharmacists dispense the wrong medications. Fatigue is a common cause of this, but pharmacists can also misread prescriptions.

Some drug names are complicated; others are similar in spelling. Make sure that the medicine you receive is the same as your doctor prescribed.

3. Substituting One Drug for Another

Many pharmacists substitute prescribed drugs for those that have similar indications. This can happen when prescribed drugs are out of stock.

Substituting drugs can have lasting consequences for patients. Pharmacists are not qualified to make these switches without authorization from the prescribing physician.

4. Dispensing Expired Medication

Another common problem is patients receiving expired medications. When drugs expire, they lose their efficacy. As a result, patients are not effectively treating their health concerns, which are getting worse over time.

Also, drugs that pass their expiry dates are dangerous. They send thousands to hospitals each year.

5. Misinterpreting Prescriptions

There are many ways for pharmacists to misinterpret prescriptions, but regardless of the reason, the patient is the one who suffers the consequences. To prevent pharmacists from misreading a doctor’s handwriting, many physicians have started using typesets. There are still mistakes, however – particularly with dosage and administering instructions.

Medication mistakes are not the only forms or medical malpractice. Surgical errors, delayed diagnoses and birth injuries can all cause serious complications. Patients and their families often cannot afford the added health-care expenses. This is where an injury attorney may be able to help.

If you or a loved one was the victim of a pharmaceutical error, contact the Luke Dow Law Firm. Mr. Dow is an Austin personal-injury lawyer who can determine if you may have valid grounds for a claim. Call 512-518-4104 to schedule a consultation.

 

 

 

 

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