Dealing with an illness can be difficult on its own. Once you leave the doctors office or hospital, your focus is on obtaining the prescribed medications, going home and resting. Unfortunately, medication errors sometimes occur at pharmacies, which can prolong your sickness or even cause more harm. Pharmacy negligence claims can result from pharmacists giving a patient an unintended medication due to poor communication, carelessness, understaffing, system error and ineffective precautionary measures. As a result, pharmacists may provide the wrong medication, incorrect dosage, wrong directions or fail to inform patients of potential allergies and drug/food interactions. Medication errors can be serious, as not only are patients deprived of necessary medication but they are at risk of alternative reactions to unintended drugs or incorrect dosing.
When a patient suffers injuries as a result of a medication error, they may have the right to file a malpractice claim, though not all complications warrant legal action. It must be proven that the pharmacy’s negligence is directly responsible for an injury for the claim to be valid. The plaintiff must also prove that the pharmacy has a duty of care, breached that duty of care, directly caused the injury and that the injury has caused financial or emotional damages. Damages for malpractice claims based on negligence can include medical and disability expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and punitive damages.
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury due to pharmacy negligence, contact Darfoor Law Firm at 1-833-DARFOOR. Our Florida malpractice attorney can help to recover the compensation you deserve.