While a Maryland pharmacy error can result in serious and even fatal consequences for any patient, the very young are at an especially high risk. This is a frightening thought, considering that pharmacy errors are much more common than most people believe. Indeed, it is estimated that there are over 63,000 medication errors involving child patients each year. This amounts to one error approximately every eight minutes.
Researchers have noted that the most common type of medication error involving a child patient is when the prescribed medication is an analgesic or a cold/cough syrup. Commonly, these medications result in the pharmacist providing patients with a double-dose of the prescribed medication. That being said, it is not unheard of for a pharmacist to give a parent the wrong medication altogether.
When a pharmacist error results in patient harm, the injured patient may be able to pursue a claim for compensation through a Maryland pharmacy error lawsuit. While proving that an error was made is not necessarily difficult in many cases, establishing that the error resulted in a patient’s injuries can be challenging. For this reason, many pharmacy error cases require expert testimony to help prove causation.
Child Inadvertently Given Methadone Instead of Prescribed Medication
According to a recent news report, a child was given methadone instead of the medication that was prescribed by the child’s doctor. The one-month-old baby was admitted to the intensive care unit immediately after she stopped breathing, a short time after being given the first dose of the medication by a parent.
The baby was admitted in serious condition but was shortly thereafter stabilized and is expected to make a full recovery. The government body in charge of overseeing pharmacists told reporters that an in-depth investigation will be launched into the error, seeking to establish if the error was a result of pharmacist incompetence and whether all safety precautions were followed.
One expert interviewed in the article explained that pharmacies are moving toward more automated systems with double- and triple-checks in place to prevent errors. However, while the prescription-filling process gets more automated over time, it will always rely to some extent on a human, which introduces the possibility of an error.
Have You Been a Victim of a Pharmacy Error?
If you or your child has recently been a victim of a Maryland pharmacy error, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. The dedicated pharmacy error attorneys at the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have decades of collective experience representing patients who have been harmed by a pharmacist’s negligence or mistake. We represent clients across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. To learn more, call 410-654-3600 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case and to see how we may be able to help you. Calling is free, and we will not bill you for our services unless we are able to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
More Blog Posts:
New Report Indicates Prescription Errors May Claim over 100,000 Lives Annually, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, May 15, 2018.
Court Rejects Plaintiff’s Premises Liability Case in Recent Drug Overdose Case, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, June 1, 2018.