Every time we as patients are given a medical prescription, we must put our trust in the pharmacy who is filling the prescription and in the healthcare provider who ordered the drug for us. We want to believe they are giving us the right prescription in the right dosage with the right instructions.

Unfortunately, pharmacy mistakes happen every day in the U.S. Some medical watchdog groups estimate that nearly one in every 55 prescriptions contains some type of error.

Some of the mistakes end with no apparent injury. Others can cause catastrophic injury to the patient, including permanent, traumatic brain injury. Some, sadly, even end in wrongful death. Research surveys have shown that more than 7,000 fatalities annually can be contributed to pharmacy errors.

Types of Pharmacy Errors

Pharmacy mistakes can happen at any point in the prescribing, filling and administering process used in the healthcare industry today. A few examples of the errors that can occur include:

• A doctor or other healthcare professional writing a prescription in the wrong dosage amount
• A doctor or other healthcare professional writing a prescription that counteracts with other medicines a patient is taking, with a patient’s known medical conditions or with a known allergy
• A pharmacy incorrectly filling a prescription with a different strength of medicine
• Incorrect labeling placed on a drug package
• Selection by the pharmacist of the wrong drug
• A failure by pharmacy staff to provide instructions on how to take the drug
• Switching prescriptions, giving the wrong drug to the wrong patient

Responsible Parties

Pharmaceutical mistakes are usually associated with pharmacists and pharmacy staff, but other professionals such as doctors, physician assistants, nurses, EMTs and nursing home staff, can be held accountable, as well, in some instances.

Are You At Risk?

National reports show that no one is truly safe from a pharmacy error ; patients in both large cities and small rural communities are all at risk.

In fact, several national pharmacy chains, including ones that operate stores in the Washington, D.C. area, have been implicated in pharmacy error investigations, including a four-month study by ABC News’ 20/20 in 2007. (Those national chains included CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens and Rite Aid, to name a few.)

Nearly 50 percent of fatal pharmacy errors happen to people over the age of 60, but people of all ages, including infants, have died as a result of a medication error, according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention.

If you suspect you or someone you love is the victim of a pharmacy error, it is important to speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case.