Denver Pharmacy Error Lawyers
We Win Compensation for Pharmacy Error Victims in Denver
Negligent mistakes made by pharmacies are one of the most harmful types of medication errors. Patients rely on pharmacies to provide life-saving drugs and other important prescription medications. Unfortunately, pharmacies in the United States commit over 51 million dispensing errors every year.
It causes needless injuries and fatalities when pharmacies fail to provide patients with the correct prescription. That’s why pharmacies are required to develop measures to maximize patient safety.
If you or a loved one was injured due to the negligent actions of a pharmacy employee, contact the pharmacy malpractice attorneys at Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. For over 40 years, our firm has been helping malpractice victims in Denver. Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. has won record-breaking verdicts and judgments for our clients.
The independent rating agency Super Lawyers has recognized Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. for providing our clients with outstanding service, and we’re AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which is an honor bestowed upon lawyers with the highest ethical standards and legal ability.
There’s no charge for your initial consultation—call (303) 759-9945 to learn more today.
When Pharmacy Errors Cause Medical Malpractice
Pharmacy malpractice occurs when a pharmacy, pharmacist, or some other pharmacy employee commits a negligent act that causes a patient to suffer serious injury or death. Inattention and inadequate pharmacy protocols are major causes of pharmacy malpractice.
It’s essential for pharmacies to create a well-organized workplace with procedures designed to eliminate errors. Supervisors must stress effective communication between pharmacists, doctors, and patients to provide the highest level of clarity.
Pharmacy staff must be fully trained to use the software and equipment provided by the pharmacy. Employees must be fully screened to make sure they have the necessary skills and experience to do the job safely.
Medications must be carefully handled and properly labeled at all times. Pharmacies, administrators, and supervisors must eliminate issues that cause pharmacy malpractice, including:
- Poor communication
- Negligent hiring
- Insufficient training
- Inadequate staffing
- Lack of safety protocols
Signs and Symptoms of Pharmacy Errors
It might not be obvious right away when a patient is given the incorrect medication. But over time, it may become apparent that something is wrong. Warning signs that a prescription dispensing error has occurred include:
- Unusual side effects. Allergic reactions, heart palpations, anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, confusion, memory loss, lack of motor control, headaches, digestion problems, and any other symptoms should be brought to the attention of your physician right away.
- Lack of improvement. If the issue that the medication is meant to treat doesn’t improve, or if your condition grows worse, you may have been given the wrong medication.
- Unfamiliar packaging. If the medication seems different from what you have been given in the past, you’ll want to check the label and compare it with previous prescriptions.
- Inconsistent dosage. If the dosage is higher or lower than previous prescriptions, contact your doctor right away to make sure there hasn’t been a mistake.
- Changes in behavior. If you or a loved one becomes confused or disoriented or starts acting in an unusual manner, you’ll want to check the prescriptions and speak with a doctor.
Patient Harm Caused by Pharmacy Dispensing Errors
When a patient receives the wrong medication, it may cause catastrophic injuries and fatalities. There are two major types of harm caused by dispensing errors: injuries resulting from not getting the medication you need and injuries caused by receiving medication that wasn’t prescribed by a physician.
Doctors and pharmacists must take into account which drugs a patient is already taking to prevent unsafe drug interactions. When a patient is given inappropriate medication, it may cause toxic interactions and side effects.
Serious consequences of pharmacy errors include:
- Allergic reactions
- Overdoses
- Seizures
- Brain damage
- Birth defects
- Kidney failure
- Internal bleeding
- Stroke
- Vision loss
- Organ failure
- Coma
- Death
- Heart attacks
What Causes Pharmacy Dispensing Errors?
Pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals. There’s no excuse for making careless dispensing errors that could ruin a patient’s life. Pharmacists must always be on the lookout to prevent mistakes. A patient may receive the wrong medication when a pharmacist fails to read a prescription carefully. One frequent pharmacy error is mistaking drugs that have similar-sounding names. Another problem is when pharmacists fail to account for zeros and abbreviations.
Even when the proper drug is provided, it must be issued at the correct strength or dosage level. For example, if a patient isn’t receiving enough antibiotics, the infection may continue to spread, and it will become more resistant to antibiotics in the future. Giving a patient too much blood pressure medication may cause heart failure and other dangerous outcomes.
Medications come with important instructions that pharmacists must go over with a patient directly. Instructions must indicate how and when the drug should be taken. It is crucial that all drugs must be properly labeled.
Common examples of pharmacy errors include:
- Providing the wrong medication
- Failure to follow a doctor’s orders
- Dispensing an incorrect dosage
- Mislabeled prescriptions
- Improper storage of medications
- Unauthorized refilling of a prescription
- Providing the wrong medication
- Failure to warn a patient about possible side effects
- Failure to recognize and prevent harmful drug interactions
How Your Denver Pharmacy Error Lawyer Can Help
Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. handled a case involving an antipsychotic drug that was mistakenly prescribed to a five-year-old boy. Our attorneys filed a successful lawsuit against the pharmacy, arguing that the parents should have been properly warned that the antipsychotic was dangerous for children in the dosage that was provided. Due to this pharmacy error, the boy had to be rushed to the emergency department.
If you or a loved one was injured because of a pharmacy error, Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. will conduct a thorough investigation. We will examine your medical records and review the policies and procedures at the pharmacy that provided you with the wrong medication. We will also call upon medical and pharmaceutical experts to build a strong case.
Our investigators will interview witnesses and fight to obtain internal pharmacy documents to find out what happened and who is liable for the injuries you have suffered. If factors such as negligent hiring, inadequate staffing, insufficient training, poor safety protocols, or lack of communication created a work environment where dispensing errors were likely to occur, we will file a claim or a lawsuit against the pharmacy and supervisors responsible.
It’s possible that your injuries are due to an error in prescribing: When a pharmacist issues a patient a prescribed drug that a doctor made a mistake in prescribing, the pharmacist may not be the only person to blame. In this situation, it’s important to hold the correct people liable, which may be the physician and the pharmacist.
When Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. files a claim or a lawsuit for a pharmacy dispensing error, it includes the following types of damages.
- Medical bills
- Emergency room treatment
- Pain and suffering
- Medical devices
- Lost income
- Occupational therapy
- Wrongful death
- In-home nursing care
- Reduced quality of life
Who Is Liable for Pharmacy Errors?
Pharmacies located within hospitals may fail to provide patients with the right medication, and this might make the hospital itself liable, especially if the hospital fails to provide proper training, enforce safe practices, or adequately screen its employees.
Determining who is liable for a pharmacy error requires an experienced Denver medical malpractice attorney. The lawyers at Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. have decades of experience dealing with various forms of medical malpractice and fighting for the rights of malpractice victims across the United States.
When our investigation is complete, Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. will file a claim or lawsuit against anyone who committed a negligent act that contributed to your injuries, which may include:
- Pharmacies
- Hospitals
- Pharmacists
- Pharmacy technicians
- Nursing homes
- Administrators
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Hospital staff
You will also want to inform your doctor about your situation as soon as you can. Report the error to the pharmacy and your healthcare provider and seek the services of a Denver pharmacy malpractice lawyer.
We’ve Won Millions of Dollars for Our Clients
At Leventhal Puga Braley P.C., we have dedicated our practice to helping people injured by the careless actions of others. If somebody hurt you, they should have to pay for it.
We understand how important your case is, and that’s why we make ourselves available to our clients. We’ll keep you informed about how your case is progressing every step of the way.
Call us at (303) 759-9945 to learn more today.
Additional Information
- When Doctors Work For The Drug Company
- BeSafeRx: Know Your Online Pharmacy
- Medication Errors: The Importance of Safe Dispensing
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