Pharmacists hold a great deal of responsibilities when it comes to distributing medications to patients in need. So when they fail to follow through on their full breadth of responsibilities, patients can suffer illnesses or injuries. Read on to discover common examples of pharmacist malpractice and how one of the seasoned New York health care professional defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can help you fight against the malpractice claim placed against you.
What are the most common examples of pharmacist malpractice?
Data has reported that about 1.3 million people in the United States suffer illnesses or injuries due to pharmacist malpractice. So, without further ado, below are the most common examples of how a pharmacist can practice negligence:
- A pharmacist may dispense the wrong medication to a patient.
- A pharmacist may dispense the wrong dosage of medication to a patient.
- A pharmacist may fail to inform a physician about their concerns regarding their patient’s prescription.
- A pharmacist may fail to inform a patient of the negative, long-term side effects of their prescription.
- A pharmacist may fail to ensure that a patient’s prescription is properly labeled and includes warnings and side effects.
- A pharmacist may fail to notice that a patient is taking multiple medications, prescribed by different physicians, at the same time.
- A pharmacist may fail to notice that a patient’s medical history may not allow them to take a certain prescription.
- A pharmacist may fail to notice that a certain medication they dispensed is defective and has been recalled.
What should I do if I am accused of malpractice?
If a patient has accused you of pharmacist malpractice, they will have to complete certain steps to properly do so. They read as follows:
- A patient will have to prove that you owed them a duty of care.
- A patient will have to prove that you breached your duty of care by dispensing the wrong medication or otherwise.
- A patient will have to prove that a reasonable pharmacist would not have acted in this manner.
- A patient will have to prove that this breach in your duty of care caused them to suffer illnesses or injuries.
With that being said, if you believe that you are being wrongly accused of malpractice and that a patient has improper or falsified evidence against you, then you must do everything in your power to fight back. This starts with retaining the services of one of our competent New York health care professional defense lawyers.
At the end of the day, this is your livelihood that is on the line. So even if you believe that a patient does not have a malpractice case against you, you should take these accusations seriously. Pick up the phone and give our firm a call today.
