We are St Louis malpractice lawyers handling medical mistakes as well as pharmacists medical malpractice.  The Missouri pharmacy malpractice cases we have handled have overwhelming been the result of the wrong medication being filled but labeled in the medicine container the patient expected to receive.  Anytime you get a prescription filled make sure you read the directions that identify what the pill or tablet is supposed to look like, if it does not appear to be the same or you are not sure, double check with the pharmacist before taking that medication.  

We have handled cases where the wrong prescription being filled resulted in severe migraines for several weeks, destruction of vision from the wrong eye drops being filled int he prescription bottle, to heart medication being improperly filled which has led to clients going to the hospital with serious and life threatening complications.  In a few unfortunate cases filling the wrong prescription results in wrongful death.         

Individual pharmacists fill hundreds if not thousands of prescriptions everyday, this high number of prescriptions results in more negligent or reckless mistakes than you may think.  An improperly filled prescription can result in severe injury, hospitalization, or even death.  Additionally, it can delay the treatment of the symptoms the correct prescription was meant to alleviate.  

Many experts agree that the workload on pharmacists is too high and that pharmacies often do not provide enough technicians or other support staff for the pharmacists to keep up with the demanding workload.  Oftentimes they are not only filling prescriptions, but they are also answering the phone and answering customer questions; many times those customer questions are unrelated to the pharmacy.  Adequate support staff, clerks, and receptionists are necessary to minimize pharmacist distractions and allow them to concentrate on their job of filling prescriptions and assisting patients with any medicine related questions or concerns.  

Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company studies hundreds of pharmacy malpractice incidents and concluded the following were the most common causes of the errors:

Wrong Drug Dispensed:         52%
Wrong Strength or Dosage:    27%
Wrong Directions Given           7%

For a total of 86% of errors that should have been prevented but were caused by negligent or reckless conduct.  Errors that put patient and human safety in needless danger.  Time constraints and too many distractions have often been given the most credit for the errors.  Inadequate staff at the pharmacy to answer patient questions that do not necessarily require the pharmacist to answer.

Our medical malpractice law firm is located in Clayton Missouri, a city located within St Louis County, and are 1 block from the St Louis County Courthouse.  While the majority of our cases are in St Louis County, we also routinely handle Jefferson County malpractice cases, St Charles accident claims, and Franklin County injury and accident cases.  Additionally, we are also licensed in Illinois and regularly represent clients in St Clair County Court and Madison County Court.      

If you, a family member, or friend, have been injured as the result of a medical or pharmacy malpractice accident, call us today for a  FREE & NO OBLIGATION consultation to discuss your case and what we can do to assist you.  Talk directly with an experienced accident lawyer today at (314) 863-0500 or contact us online.