For the most part, medication errors occur largely because of negligence on the part of our local pharmacies. For example, the pharmacist may have failed to put the right pills in the bottle or perhaps the staff applied a label outlining an incorrect treatment regimen. While it’s true that local pharmacies are ground zero for […]
The American Pharmacists Association recently held its Annual Meeting and Exposition in Los Angeles. A highlight of the gathering was an eye-opening presentation discussing the current rate of prescription errors here in the U.S. and outlining how pharmacists — particularly those who work in hospital settings — can help improve patient care. While most people […]
Regardless of whether you have been taking the same medication for years or were recently written a prescription to treat a short-term ailment, you probably don’t pay much attention to what’s actually inside the bottle. For example, while you may initially read the label or the information that comes with the prescription to verify that […]
In our previous post, we discussed how highly trained medical professionals — physicians, pharmacists and nurses — are frequently confusing clobazam and clonazepam, a very serious medication error that could potentially result in a small child being administered the wrong dosage of a very strong sedative. The unfortunate reality is that clobazam and clonazepam are […]
Parents of children suffering from serious medical conditions are undoubtedly preoccupied with providing as much comfort and care as possible to their children. As such, it’s understandable that they simply don’t have the time to manage every facet of their child’s medical care and instead choose to place their trust in the abilities of doctors, […]
Last year, pharmacies across the United States filled over 3.7 billion prescriptions. While the majority of these prescriptions were filled correctly, an unacceptably high number of patients weren’t as fortunate. It’s a well known fact that pharmacy errors ranging from dispensing the wrong medication (or the right medication at the wrong dosage) to the failure […]
A recently filed lawsuit in U.S. District Court raises a rather fascinating legal question concerning liability for medication errors: Can a hospital be held liable when its physicians prescribe large amounts of a drug that a patient eventually uses to commit suicide? The case in question involves identical twin sisters — we’ll call them Darla […]
When we leave the pharmacy with a prescription in hand, we expect that the pharmacist has taken the time to ensure that we were provided with the right medication in the right dosage and in the right number. Any failure on the part of the pharmacist to perform this otherwise simple task could have serious […]
For most of us, the term prescription error conjures up thoughts of pharmacies giving us the wrong medication, physicians prescribing the wrong dosage or nurses failing to administer the medication properly. While these are all certainly accurate depictions, a recent report reveals that there is another type of prescription error of which healthcare providers must […]
For many seniors, the office of their primary care physician is the first stop when they are feeling ill or suffering from some sort of medical condition. Here, they can discuss their health openly with a physician whom they trust and rely upon to provide the appropriate course of treatment. More often than not, this […]
