The healthcare industry is growing rapidly as more Americans have access to quality doctors and prescription coverage, but with this growth come danger. Pharmacists, the men and women responsible for dispensing the ever-increasing numbers of prescription drugs, are being pushed to their limits when it comes to their workloads.
Pharmacists are regularly forced to work long hours, and as their hours increase, so do the odds of prescription errors.
Who Is Filling Your Prescription?
While we would like to think that the highly trained pharmacist was the one responsible for filling the prescriptions we receive, the reality is that he or she was minimally involved. Prescription use in the United States has nearly doubled in the last two decades, and the number of pharmacists entering the field has not kept up with the demand.
This leaves pharmacies in a predicament. Old standards required there to be one pharmacist for each pharmacy technician, since pharmacy technicians are required to work under the direct supervision of the pharmacist. Now, you may enter your local grocery store or drug store pharmacy to find three or four pharmacy technicians working under one pharmacist, and you could be paying the price.
Who Is Responsible for Your Damages?
If you have suffered illness or injury as a result of a pharmacy error, it can be unclear who is to blame. Despite possibly being the only person to handle your prescription, a pharmacy technician has no legal liability when it comes to your damages; the liability falls on the supervising pharmacist.
Adverse drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and if you have been injured due to a mistake made by a member of an overworked, understaffed pharmacy, you deserve answers. Download our free book, How to Make Pharmacies Pay for Your Injuries Caused by Medication Errors, to find out more about what you can do.
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