Florida Pharmacy Malpractice Occurs When Pharmacists Fill Wrong Prescriptions

When you receive a prescription from your doctor and take it to the pharmacy, you expect that the pharmacist will fill your prescription correctly. In fact, you may never have even thought that pharmacists may make mistakes such as filling the wrong prescriptions, but they do.

The latest statistics show that an estimated 7,000 people die each year from incorrect prescriptions. This is considered pharmacy malpractice resulting in wrongful death in Florida, and sadly it is on the rise.

When a pharmacist makes a prescription error, he or she has breached the standard of care that they are supposed to adhere to. When this happens, pharmacy malpractice has occurred. If someone was injured or died as a result of a pharmacist’s mistake, they may be entitled to damages as well as their family.

How do pharmacists fill incorrect prescriptions? A pharmacist may:

• Mix up the names or similar looking pills

• Fill the wrong drug or the wrong dosage of the correct drug

• Place the wrong labeling and wrong instructions printed on the prescription

• Not account for drug interactions with other medications the patient is taking

• Not be able to clearly read the prescription but fill it anyways

• Be distracted, overworked or tired, which results in mistakes

Sometimes, the wrong medication can cause physical damage to a patient or result in death. When a medication mistake in Florida occurs, a pharmacist may be responsible for the prescription error and must be held liable for their actions.

When you are a patient seeking a prescription from a pharmacy, you deserve the best care. If you or someone you love received inadequate care and received the wrong medication, you may be entitled to financial compensation for damages that resulted from their malpractice.