Workers of course make mistakes in every industry, with mishaps occurring across Pennsylvania and nationally yielding varied outcomes.
An error in one work sphere might result in nothing more than some inconvenience for a customer. Alternatively, it might end up costing an individual some money.
And in some instances, a mistake can prove fatal.
That dire outcome is realized with some pronounced regularity in select work environments that are already noted for necessarily being closely scrutinized and regulated.
Like pharmacies, for example. The drugs and assorted medications doled out at those venues routinely save patients’ lives and/or materially alleviate adverse health conditions. Sadly, though, their prescribed dispensing to individuals can also yield wholly undesired effects. That is, they can kill rather than heal.
How common is medication error at retail pharmacies?
A recent national media piece stresses that prescription mistakes occurring at retail chain pharmacies across the country are likely far more common than most people realize.
The potential downsides are understandably stark. What can a consumer do to up the odds that he or she will have an error-free transaction?
Steps to take to better ensure a taint-free prescription
For starters, communicate with the pharmacist. Although that sounds simple, of course, it is not often followed through on during a prescription sale. Merely having a pharmacist briefly focus at the last moment on the particulars of a transaction can greatly enhance accuracy.
Also, check the label to confirm your identity on the packaging and the drug type. Opening the bottle and examining the pills can also help to root out error.
And here’s a key point to note: Report errors immediately, both to the pharmacy and the prescribing physician.
As a major pharmacy trade group duly notes, “pharmacies consider even one prescription error to be one too many.”