According to the CDC, over 50% of the United States' population of adults has taken a prescribed drug in the last month, and more than 30% of that total take prescribed drugs regularly. Illnesses and conditions such as high blood pressure, depression, and pain, to name a few, are more frequently (and increasingly) being treated with prescription drugs. The increase

1.7% of the 3 billion prescriptions filled per year result in an error. Pharmacy error doesn't sound like a huge problem. But, when you break that down to errors per day and calculate that 4 out of 250 prescriptions filled daily contain a mistake, there is cause for alarm. We can break down the errors into four categories: Commission Omission

According to the American Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance, medication errors are relatively common in pharmacies. Of course, mistakes can lead to every consequence, from minor illness to death. But the harm these errors cause patients is very much avoidable. We will address why these errors occur in this article and ponder solutions to prevent mistakes. Errors Occur - Why? Possible causes

Many articles exist about patients overdosing due to pharmacy error. But what about cases where an inadequate dosage of medication is either instructed (improper labeling) or dispensed? Both overdosing AND underdosing can result in long-term patient injury. Today we will focus on complications resulting from underdosing. Common sense would tell us that when we are treated for a condition, and

Quite like Starbucks, a Walgreens Pharmacy is probably within 5 miles of you in several different directions. Walgreens locations number in the thousands and exist in all states in the U.S. They fill billions of prescriptions each year and also experience their share of dispensing errors. Many claims of pharmacy negligence and malpractice originated against Walgreens Pharmacies. As a matter

If a pharmacy dispensed the wrong medication or made any mistake with your prescription, and, as a result, your health or a loved one's was negatively affected, you have the right to file a claim for negligence or malpractice. This type of claim falls under "personal injury law." NOTE: Each state has different laws governing personal injury cases; therefore, the

A pharmacist is a patient's most accessible health care provider. If you think about it, pharmacists advise on prescription medications, over the counter medications, as well as health and vitamin supplements. This advice is available in-person or over the phone - without the need for an appointment. This fact is impressive, considering all of the things a pharmacist is juggling

Imagine you are a pregnant woman experiencing high blood pressure in the latter half of your pregnancy. Your doctor has coached you to ditch the salt, de-stress, take more walks, etc., to lower your blood pressure the natural way, but it isn't working. As a last resort, the doctor prescribes a blood-pressure-lowering medication to avoid complications for you and your

Several years ago, a gentleman was picking up a prescription for his wife, and unbeknownst to him at the time, the medication prescribed by the doctor was not what he took home. The error started when the doctor's office phoned in the prescription to the pharmacy. The technician (not the pharmacist) took the order and gave the information to the

Of course, no pharmacist intentionally means to harm a patient. In fact, they intend to use every resource at their disposal to prevent harming a patient. But they can be a victim of their own circumstance. In case you haven't noticed lately, pharmacy environments can be very chaotic. Pharmacists are called upon to dispense medication, phone doctors, phone patients, work