Just as we have Medical malpractices and accidents, so do we have pharmaceutical accidents, medication accidents, and pharmacy malpractice. To me, I see them as the same, no matter what name people call them. Millions of people are injured worldwide as a result of medication errors, which could result from a pharmacist being nonchalant, not concentrating, or taking advantage of ignorant people who cannot read the prescription properly.
Nobody is perfect, and no one is above mistakes, but for the majority of pharmacy drug mistakes, it is associated with pharmacy in high-volume and high-stress pharmacies. Have you seen pharmacies with high traffic? You would think it is a fast-food restaurant, and you would be surprised when some employees tell you they have a quota to sell medications, which is very disturbing.
Another reason I have seen why pharmacies would give the wrong medications, which can sometimes lead to a deadly mistake, is the sound-alike error, which is caused by medications with similar names. Examples of Sound-alike mistakes are Celebrex vs Celexa (one a Painkiller and the other an antidepressant), Lamictal vs Lamisil (a Seizure medication and the other an antifungal med), Losec vs Lasix (an Ulcer drug and a diuretic med), and so on.
As a pharmacist, one common malpractice is dispersing medications that are past their expiration date, which is wrong and harmful, and it can cause a patient to be undermedicated. This should not be taken lightly. If you suspect a drug error, you must call your doctor immediately. If your doctor confirms there is an error, the next thing is to call the pharmacy. Do not return the misfilled medication under any circumstances. Save the medicine, the receipt, the pack, and the bag it was packed in. If you were not affected by the medication in the case where you have not used it and it has not caused any damage, you can go to the pharmacy if it was a genuine mistake, but if you notice it is as a result of negligence or any other questionable reason, reach out to the authorities (In Nigeria, you can reach out to Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and NAFDAC), and consider legal actions in cases of Injurym Complications, and Financial loss.
Health, they say, is wealth, and for you to be healthy, you need to be watchful when you are at the pharmacy. One wrongdoing can be the difference between life and death, getting well and deteriorating health. Take your health seriously.
Pharmacy Accident
https://www.gulfcarepharmacy.com/blogs/7-common-pharmacy-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them
https://www.olindelaw.com/blog/2021/12/top-reasons-pharmacists-make-mistakes/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
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