At Bordas & Bordas, our seasoned medical negligence attorneys help people throughout Pennsylvania who have been injured due to pharmaceutical errors. The laws provide that certified pharmacists have a legal obligation and duty to protect customers by carefully reviewing the prescriptions and drug information to ensure they fill them correctly and as per the physician’s instructions.
They must also educate patients on dosing requirements and warn them of potential side effects, interactions, and drug risks. Certified healthcare professionals must meet the standard of professional care to protect customers’ health and well-being by ensuring safe pharmaceutical care practices at all times.
If you or someone close to you has been injured due to a medication error by a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or any other medical professional, a Pittsburgh pharmaceutical errors lawyer is here to offer advice and advocacy. We have significant experience handling medical malpractice cases and a proven record of success obtaining results for our clients.
Frequent Pharmaceutical Errors in Pittsburgh
Pharmaceutical errors generally take one of two forms: giving patients the wrong medication or giving them the wrong amount. These mistakes can happen for several reasons, including:
- Errors in communication between doctor and pharmacist
- Failure to account for harmful drug interactions
- Understaffed pharmacies making errors in filling prescriptions
- Errors while reading handwritten prescriptions and interpreting them correctly
- Failing to provide adequate instructions for taking the medication
- Neglecting to ask patients if they have questions to ensure they understand the instructions
Pharmaceutical errors can leave patients with serious health problems, including failing to treat the underlying condition. Victims can seek compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and other hardships.
Our pharmacist mistake attorneys in Pittsburgh have the knowledge and resources to handle complex medication error cases and are prepared to stand up for your rights.
Pharmacist Legal Duties and Responsibilities
Pharmacists must review prescriptions and patient history thoroughly and advise customers about potential drug interactions. They must also provide information about the possible risks of taking the medication and ask everyone if they have questions for the pharmacist when they pick up their prescription. 49 Pennsylvania Code § 27.12 directs that pharmacists must obtain a license to disburse medication from the state board before undertaking any duties where certification is required.
To complete the requirements to receive licensing, they must understand their legal duties and responsibilities thoroughly. They must understand their responsibility to delegate work to technicians and interns in accordance with the laws and direct staff as necessary. The primary duty includes reviewing prescriptions, including the drug, dosage, strength, and quantity, and overseeing those processes when they delegate them to staff.
The pharmacist is responsible for ensuring accuracy to keep customers safe, regardless of whether they handle the tasks themselves or assign them to another party. They must also respond to and answer questions from supporting staff and customers whenever necessary.
Effective Compliance Systems
By establishing effective compliance systems, pharmacists can always ensure adherence to state and federal laws. That includes instituting a standard of conduct and policies that pharmacists and other staff must adhere to.
For patients harmed due to non-compliance, a Pittsburgh pharmaceutical errors attorney could help determine liability and pursue legal action.
Establishing Pharmacist Liability for Civil Cases
The necessary components to establish medical negligence cases include proof of duty, breach, causation, and evidence of damages.
- Licensed pharmacists have a legal responsibility, or duty in legal terms, to apply sound judgment to review patient medication history for refills and possible interactions thoroughly
- A breach happens when they fall below the benchmark and acceptable professional standard by making errors others in the same field would not make
- Causation is evidence to support that the defendant’s medication error reasonably caused the patient to suffer harm
- Evidence of damages may include hospital bills, medical records, or expert testimony
Malpractice claims must establish the elements of liability to recover damages from licensed pharmacists successfully. Consulting a well-practiced lawyer in Pittsburgh could provide you with the guidance needed to navigate the complex legal requirements in a pharmacist malpractice case.
Contact a Pittsburgh Pharmaceutical Errors Attorney Now
Pharmacists are usually busy and under daily pressure to quickly carry out their responsibilities and legal duties while complying with state laws to protect pharmacy customers. When there is an oversight or medication error, and patients suffer the consequences, civil laws allow those who suffer harm because of the medical professional’s actions to seek damages by filing a lawsuit to hold them financially accountable.
Have you or a loved one suffered due to a pharmaceutical error? Contact us today to speak with a knowledgeable Pittsburgh pharmaceutical errors lawyer. We offer free initial consultations and bill on a contingent fee basis — you won’t have to pay us a thing unless we obtain results for you.