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Fullerton Prescription Drugs Errors Lawyer
Today’s prescription drugs are powerful medicines. If they are dispensed improperly, they can cause serious harm or even death to patients. Improper dispensing can include giving the patient the wrong or wrong dose of medication, mislabeling, dispensing a drug that the patient is allergic to, failure to determine interactions with other medication or failing to inform the patient of possible side effects of a medication.
All these medication errors can occur anywhere drugs are dispensed, including a doctor’s office, pharmacy, hospital, clinic, or any other healthcare facility. If the health provider fails to take sufficient care when prescribing and dispensing these powerful medications, reach out to a medical malpractice attorney. A Fullerton prescription drugs errors lawyer can help you hold the facility, pharmacy and/or doctor liable for their negligence.
Masking a Medication Error
Because medication is prescribed to treat a specific condition the patient has, sometimes the prescribing physician will try to hide the effects of a medication error by stating it is a symptom of the underlying condition. This is another good reason to consult a Fullerton prescription drugs errors lawyer who has experience in uncovering this tactic.
In fact, there has been considerable research about how prescription drugs errors happen, which gives attorneys a framework for investigating the error and successfully suing.
Some factors that lead to medication errors are:
- A work environment that is not conducive to the careful and precise dispensing of medications – frequently this is because there are not enough pharmacists and staff to be thorough in checking for drug allergies, interactions with other meds, dosage, etc.
- Dispensing time limits – performance metrics that cause pharmacists and technicians to get medications to customers quickly can cause errors
- Lack of consultations – whenever a patient has prescribed a new medication, there should be a consultation with the pharmacist that goes over the name and description of the medicine, the expected medical benefits of the medicine, directions for use, what side effects are likely
Questions to Ask in a Fullerton Prescription Drug Errors Case
This error framework can guide a Fullerton prescription drugs errors lawyer to ask specific questions about the events surrounding the prescribing and dispensing of medications. What was the workload like on the day in question? Does that pharmacy have aggressive dispensing time limits in place, and what are the penalties if employees miss those deadlines? The answers to these questions can greatly impact a case.
Time-Limits that Affect Cases
California has mandated that claims for management of prescription drugs-related errors in the health and safety code CHSC Section 1339.63 must be filed within a specific period. Victims of prescription drug errors have one year after discovery of the injury, or three years if they did not discover the injury until later, to file a lawsuit.
Speak with a Fullerton Prescription Drug Errors Attorney Today
If you or a loved one suffered any type of injury due to the negligence of a pharmacy or hospital that incorrectly prescribed medication, do not hesitate to contact a Fullerton prescription drugs errors lawyer who can examine all of the aspects of your case and advise you of your best legal options going forward.