Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing

Watch the video below to learn more about medication errors that can occur during dispensing. Prescription dispensing errors are, unfortunately a common occurrence in healthcare.

Learn More:

Medication Errors That Can Occur During Prescribing and Writing Orders

Medication Errors That Can Occur During Transcription

An Overview Of The Prescription Medication Process

Video Transcript

Timestamps
0:00 Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing: Intro
0:23 Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing: Dispensing Of Medication
1:14 Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing: Prescription Dispensing Errors

So the prescription has been ordered, it’s been properly documented, it’s been properly transcribed. So now what happens? We come to the point in the process known as dispensing.

0:23 Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing: Dispensing Of Medication

Here again, typically, an appropriately trained individual in the pharmacy now has to gather the medication, and acquire the actual medication, could be a pill, could be a capsule. It is the job of the pharmacist to identify the proper formulation of the prescribed medication and then place that medication into an appropriate container for actual transmission to the patient. And that is what we would call the dispensing process. Can anything go wrong in the dispensing process?

1:14 Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing: Prescription Dispensing Errors

Perhaps you can imagine, the possibility that the pharmacist identified the wrong formulation, the wrong pill, the wrong capsule, the wrong vile for an injectable medication. It is possible that even if the proper formulation was identified, it’s possible that the actual material that the pharmacist collected was out of date or its shelf life had been exceeded. In other words, the stability of that material in the pharmacy could no longer be guaranteed or assured to the patient. There’s also the possibility that the pharmacist grabbed the wrong dose of the medication as opposed to the wrong formulation because sometimes tablets for various drugs can come in different dosages. Five milligrams, ten milligrams, twenty milligrams, even a hundred milligrams. Sometimes ten might be mistaken for one hundred, just as an example.

So, as you can see, there are possible errors that can occur in the actual dispensing process.

More to come. And now, we can talk about administration of the medication, and ultimately, proper monitoring of the medication.

You don’t expect any problems if you visit the pharmacy each month to pick up the exact same prescription. There is no reason to think that your prescription does not contain the right dosage. It is important to feel that you have the right medicine in your hospital. Accidents can happen. Here’s a sample of the cases LawMD can assist you with:

Wrong dosage. The pharmacist does not pay enough attention to the doctor’s prescription and gives the wrong dosage. Over- or under-medicating can lead to serious and life-threatening side effects that may not be apparent immediately.
Mistaken medication. While some medications may have similar names, they can be used to treat very different conditions. Patients are often sold the wrong medication because they misread the labels.
Misleading instructions. For good reasons, doctors and drug companies provide drug instructions. The instructions will not only improve the drug’s effectiveness, but they will also help to reduce the chance of it being misused. Failure to give these instructions by the pharmacy could result in death.
Wrong person. If there is more than one person living in the household, it is possible to accidentally give medication to another person. It can also happen among people with similar names and birthdays.
Wrong warning label. Some drugs come with very specific warnings. For example, you should not operate heavy machinery while on medication. It could lead to serious injury or death if the pharmacy does not include these warnings on the prescription or speak to you about the dangers.
Interacting medications. Patients may see several doctors. However, many doctors can mean different types of medication. The pharmacist may overlook the possibility that drugs could be contraindicated or inter-relate with each other.
Doctors and nurses in hospitals failing to monitor. In hospitals, medication is often administered intravenously, prescription errors can also occur. You may not be able to tell if there are problems with your IV or what you are being given until it is too late.

Medication Errors That Can Occur During Dispensing: Frequent Questions

What should I do if I have received the wrong dosage or medication?
What will it cost for me to have my case investigated by your lawyers?
How much is my pharmacy case worth to me?

These errors are why?

Prescription errors and pharmacy errors are common. However, this does not mean you have to pay for any injuries caused by the error. Because pharmacists and nurses are often required to work non-traditional hours, fatigue can set in and cause errors. It is their job to care for patients and give them the medication they require, regardless of whether the patient is the same birthday as another client or has a similar name.

What can a lawyer do if I have been given the wrong medication?

To receive compensation for injuries caused by a prescription error, there are specific deadlines you must follow.

Experienced attorneys in the field of pharmaceutical errors will be able to help you.

Get the medical records you need to support your case
Examining the circumstances of the error to determine how many times it has been committed before.
Get a copy of all medical bills relating to your injury. Negotiate them down if necessary.
Contacting the pharmacy to your behalf
The insurance company or pharmacy will handle the claim.
Using the expertise of internal experts to assess the medical issues that were caused by the error
If your case is taken to trial, we will represent you to the fullest extent of the law before a jury.
With your approval, we will negotiate a fair settlement for you.

Information is needed if you or someone you care about has been seriously injured by a prescription error. Call LawMD’s physician attorney medication error lawyers today.

Our lawyers are also doctors!