When Arizona residents need to take medication, they rely on both their physician to prescribe the correct medication and dosage and their local pharmacy to fill the prescription accurately. Unfortunately, pharmacists and staff members sometimes make mistakes when filling prescriptions. If the patient does not catch the error in time, the consequences can be severe.
Many pharmacists fill hundreds of prescriptions each day. They may also rely on staff members to assist with this process. In some cases, lack of attention or even negligence may result in one or more errors being made. These errors can range from giving someone the wrong medication, failure to identify possible drug interaction or giving poor instructions for taking the drug. Another common error is to provide the correct medication in the wrong dosage
Unfortunately, some pharmacies do not maintain rigorous protocols for preventing or addressing this type of negligence. As a result, pharmacy customers are at risk of prolonged illness, severe side effects and, in some cases, permanent disability or death. In addition to the physical consequences of these errors, there are also emotional and financial issues as well. These include medical expenses, family strain and the inability to work. In some cases, a person may even become permanently disabled as a result of a medication issue.
Individuals who believe that they have been the victim of this type of an error and who have suffered harm as a result may want to meet with a medical malpractice attorney. In some cases, the decision may be made to prepared and file a lawsuit seeking compensation from the negligent practitioner.