Maryland medication and pharmacy errors of any type are concerning, but they are of particular worry when they affect children. Children’s immune systems are more vulnerable than adults, and they may lack the ability to articulate and explain what is wrong or what is happening to them, making errors more difficult to detect. Because children’s bodies are still growing, certain errors can also inhibit growth and have serious long-term consequences. While relatively rare, all parents should be on the lookout for pharmacy errors when it comes to their children.
To make this easier for parents, The Pharmaceutical Journal recently announced a new initiative focused solely on this problem: inviting researchers to submit articles on the subject to be published, increasing the availability of information on prevention and common errors. The Journal hopes to publish articles on how pharmaceuticals can improve the health of children, new policies that may prevent errors of this kind, and evidence-based best practices across all sectors.
The Pharmaceutical Journal explained in depth why this initiative matters. Most research on pharmaceuticals and drug administration focuses on adults, who can be studied more easily with less ethical concerns. However, children are not simply small adults, and the data collected on adult subjects cannot necessarily be translated to children, whose bodies, physiology, are remarkably different. For instance, drug doses, which are generally standardized across all adults, perhaps only differing due to weight or sex, have to be individually calculated for every child receiving the drug, based on their age, weight, body surface area, and clinical condition. This individualized calculation may lead to more errors. Additionally, the physiology of children is changing, meaning that old processes and procedures for calculating dose calculations may now be incorrect. Specifically, obesity is on the rise, with the number of overweight or obese children increasing globally. Because of this, pharmacists should be particularly cautious when treating children, and more information on the subject could help them do just that.
If, however, pharmaceutical errors do occur and children are injured, their parents may be able to file a civil negligence suit against the responsible party. While nothing can undo the harm done to their child, this suit may help them afford the medical bills and compensate the child for their pain and suffering, easing the recovery process. Potential plaintiffs should contact a personal injury attorney focusing on pharmaceutical errors to learn more about the process and how to file a claim.
Contact a Maryland Pharmacy Error Lawyer Today
If your child has recently been the victim of a Maryland pharmacy error, you may be able to recover compensation for their injuries. The attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen, Personal Injury Lawyers, are here to help you do just that. Our attorneys have decades of experience handling complex pharmacy error and medical malpractice cases, and pride themselves on providing exceptional representation at every stage. We work tirelessly to earn you the compensation you deserve. Call us today, risk-free, to schedule a free initial consultation. You can reach us at 800-654-1949, or by filling out our online form.