As New York residents may know, pharmacists fill many prescriptions daily as well as performing other duties such as talking to individuals to instruct them on their medications. A recent study shows that pharmacists who fill too many prescriptions in a day have a greater risk of making mistakes. Pharmacists from two Texas hospitals authored the study that appeared in a pharmacy magazine, and included medication orders for over 1.9 million patients that were filled by 50 pharmacists. The study was over a period of one year and showed 92 prescription errors during the time the orders were verified. Out of every 100,000 verified orders, slightly less than five errors were found.
As New York residents may know, pharmacists fill many prescriptions daily as well as performing other duties such as talking to individuals to instruct them on their medications. A recent study shows that pharmacists who fill too many prescriptions in a day have a greater risk of making mistakes. Pharmacists from two Texas hospitals authored the study that appeared in a pharmacy magazine, and included medication orders for over 1.9 million patients that were filled by 50 pharmacists. The study was over a period of one year and showed 92 prescription errors during the time the orders were verified. Out of every 100,000 verified orders, slightly less than five errors were found.
The most common prescription errors were from medicines for pneumococcal vaccine, warfarin, a particular allergy medication, vaccines for influenza virus and dexamethasone. Either the wrong dosages of the drugs were filled in the order or the orders were duplicates. Medication errors showed an increase as pharmacists filled more orders during the day. The highest risk was associated with pharmacists who filled more than 400 orders in a given day.
Thirty one pharmacists were shown to have made at least one prescription error during the year out of the 50 pharmacists studied. Although there was a lower rate of errors for those with pharmacy degrees as compared to holders of bachelor’s degrees, the difference was insignificant. However, pharmacists who had been employed at this medical center for a longer period tended to show a lower rate of errors.
Administering an incorrect drug or an improper dosage may have serious consequences. A person who has been harmed by such an error may want to speak to an attorney to find out what legal remedies may be available to obtain compensation for the damages that have been incurred.
