When the Pharmacies Make a Mistake
Healthcare in the United States has a pharmacy error problem.
In recent months, patients and customers have seen a drastic uptick in pharmacy mistakes. This includes Memphis, where our personal injury attorneys are currently handling multiple cases resulting from pharmacy errors.
We’ve seen firsthand how devastating these injuries can be. So what is causing this problem, and what can we do about it?
The Problem Plaguing Memphis Pharmacies
All across America and in our local area of Memphis, pharmacies face severe staffing shortages. As a result, pharmacists are often overworked and underpaid. They have limited options for time off. And if they take a moment to themselves, they run the risk of putting people in danger who desperately need their services.
This pushes pharmacists to their limits and can lead to a really stressful work environment. Pharmacists typically go through extensive educational and training programs, investing years of their lives, in order to help people. Not only do they want to have a good work/life balance, but they also don’t want to take shortcuts on people’s health.
Unfortunately, without more people on staff, they run the risk of hurting people more than they help them.
That’s why many pharmacists have gone on strike or led walkouts. As one example, Walgreens recently faced a massive pharmacist walkout in protest of their working conditions and inability to offer quality service to their customers.
How Pharmacy Staff Problems Lead to Injuries
Tragically, when a pharmacist can’t do their job well, it can lead to catastrophic damage. Pharmacists are only human, and mistakes happen and always have. But if pharmacists aren’t able to give customers the time and attention they need, those mistakes can happen more frequently and have bigger consequences, including:
- giving the wrong drug
- mis-dosing, or giving more or less of a drug than the patient should take
- contraindication, or giving someone a drug that could be harmful to them because of their other medications or health conditions.
In one example of a person we currently represent, a pharmacy gave our client a medication that causes seizures when they’d come in for a medication to stop seizures.
Some pharmacists cite this rise in errors as a reason for their protests. They don’t want to hurt anyone. And they don’t want to be sued or held liable for these mistakes – especially after begging the companies who run these pharmacies to staff more people and save them from this overload.
What to Do If You’re Injured By a Pharmacy Error
If you’re injured by a pharmacy mistake, we can help.
Our attorneys currently represent multiple people who’ve been injured in this way, including a very severe case. We understand the complicated problems pharmacists face right now. The question becomes, when a mistake like this happens, who pays?
It shouldn’t be the patient.
Instead, we need to hold these big companies accountable for putting so many people at risk. Pharmacy errors can cause significant damages, and patients will need help to recover. Often our clients have lost work and missed out on their wages, faced serious medical and hospital debt, and experienced a loss in their quality of life.
If you or a loved one has been injured in this way, contact us today for a free appointment. We can help you figure out your options, and we don’t get paid anything unless and until we win your case.
No one should ever be injured by their own medication, and pharmacists don’t deserve the pressure that’s putting them in this position. We can hold these companies accountable and get you the justice you need and deserve.
Darrell Castle is a Memphis personal injury attorney with decades of experience representing the Mid-South in cases related to pharmacy errors and dangerous drugs. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact him today at 901-327-2100.