Pharmacy medication errors are one of the most common forms of medical malpractice which occurs in the United States. Every year, approximately 1.3 million people are injured because of an improperly written or filled medication prescription, and an additional 100,000 die. More people die every year as a result of pharmaceutical malpractice than do from AIDS, diabetes, pneumonia, and even car accidents. Not only that, but it’s expensive: every year, it costs us between $29 and $72 billion. It’s an incredibly costly problem in both financial terms and human terms. And worse than that, it’s absolutely preventable.

Malpractice, after all, is human error, and can therefore be prevented by exercising care and respect. Of all hospital admissions, approximately 3% are due to medication problems. About 3% of hospital patients have to extend their stay by 8-12 days due to improperly administered medication. In a survey, a shocking 42% of people responded that they had experienced a medication mistake, or they knew someone who had. These are statistics that must be reversed, and can, but only through responsibility and diligence.

When you go to a doctor or check into the hospital, you are putting your life and health in the hands of trained professionals. But sometimes those professionals make mistakes and administer the wrong medication, or administer the right medication in the wrong amounts or at the wrong time.

Being improperly administered medication can have several negative results. You can have a bad reaction to the drugs which jeopardizes your health. You may even be allergic to the medication. Sometimes, the drug has no effect at all, though this, too, can be dangerous; the patient’s treatment may be delayed by the confusion.

The Numbers:

According to a report from a fairly typical hospital, the breakdown in pharmaceutical errors was as follows:

• 39% of errors were due to improper dosing; that is, giving a patient a dosage amount different from what was prescribed.
• 17% were due to administration of a different drug than prescribed.
• 15% were due to accidental subcutaneous infusion of an intravenous drug.
• 12% were due to the drug being administered to the wrong patient.

These numbers are tragic because they represent easily avoided errors. If you have been injured due to pharmaceutical malpractice, it is within your right to file a lawsuit to receive compensation for your injury. It can be beneficial to talk to a personal injury lawyer specializing in medical malpractice.

If you would like to learn more about malpractice law, visit pennsylvaniamalpractice.com.

Many of us have our prescriptions filled at various pharmacies, instead of just one pharmacy. Often, this is for the sake of convenience, while at other times it is for the sake of saving a few dollars or cents. In most cases, spreading the pharmacy love around town is a huge mistake that could be detrimental to your health in the long run.

If you use one pharmacy for all of your medications, this is safer. Your pharmacist will have records for every medication he or she has filled for you in the past, which could essentially save your life. It is also easier to discuss medications and your health with a pharmacist that you are used to doing business with. He or she has as much of a stake in your health as you and your doctor.

There are other reasons for using one pharmacy as well - especially when you use a small, privately owned pharmacy. When you need over-the-counter medications, you should buy them at the pharmacy that you always use - even if the OTC medication costs less elsewhere. You walk up to the counter, put your OTC medication selection on the counter, and wait for your friendly pharmacist to ring it up. He says ‘wait a minute,’ and walks over to his computer, where he brings up your pharmacy records.

He informs you that you cannot take this over the counter medication, because you are taking a prescription medication for a health condition, and that combining the two is dangerous, or at the very least makes one or the other - or both medications - ineffective. He may have just saved your life, and that is service that you won’t get at a big pharmacy where nobody knows or cares who you are or what you are taking.

If your pharmacist doesn’t wait on you personally, and you have an ongoing health condition, or you take prescription medication regularly, you can always ask your pharmacist to recommend a safe over-the-counter medication, and remind him of the medication that you currently take, or the health condition that you have.

Pharmacists are full of great information as well. In fact, in some situations they can save you a trip to the doctor. Note that they do not offer medical advice, or medical diagnosis. But they can listen to what you have to say and recommend an over the counter medication, or tell you point-blank that you need to see your doctor.