A Rhode Island pharmacist, and former state senator, has had his license revoked from the state earlier this month (registration required), following the accidental administration of morphine to two children who received medicine from the pharmacy where he worked.
The Health Director, Michael Fine, ordered the pharmacist’s license to practice revoked, stating the seriousness of the errors, and that a third serious dispensing error of this nature could lead to the potential death of a patient. This was reportedly the second time since 1999 that a pharmacy under the man’s control had made a major labeling error.
According to the order, the man’s license was initially suspended in March 2012, when he acknowledged being the pharmacist in charge of a location where the two mistakes were made. According to the report, two children, aged 11 months and 2 years, were mistakenly dispensed a medicine containing morphine and other serious pain reliever medications, instead of the drug they were supposed to receive in order to treat acid reflux and related conditions. The Health Director stated that this pharmacist has now had three disciplinary proceedings since 1999, and that the similarity and severity of the two incidents “demonstrate an indifference to proper pharmaceutical practice.”
This stands out as one of the more severe pharmaceutical errors that has been reported in the news media lately. What makes the mistakes more upsetting is the fact that they involved children. Not only could the harm (which was not reported) have literally killed the poor kids, but at their young ages, they had no way to communicate if they were not feeling well.
While the circumstances surrounding the errors made in this case were not reported, many pharmacists feel intense time pressure by their employers to turn over an increased number of prescriptions within shortened periods. In fact, in order to foster the alleged efficiency of pharmacies, states have begun to consider measures which would increase the number of pharmaceutical techs that each pharmacist may supervise. At the end of the day, the pharmacist signing off on the prescription orders filled is attesting to their validity, and is therefore responsible for the errors that may inevitably be made as a part of this system.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a medication or pharmacy dispensing error, such as the one that occurred with this case, contact the experienced Maryland pharmacy error injury attorneys attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. Our attorneys have extensive experience in advocating on behalf of individuals who have been harmed by medication errors, whether they were improperly prescribed, dispensed, or administered. Contact us today by calling us at (800) 654-1949 or through our website, in order to schedule your complimentary initial consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Electronic Health Records Create New Opportunities for Prescription Errors, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, published June 10, 2013
“Check Your Pills” Essay Tells of Woman’s Personal Debilitating Pharmacy Error Injury, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, published June 3, 2013