Pharmacy dispensing errors | Have you been affected by a medication mistake?

Published - 28/09/2023

Pharmacy dispensing errors represent a concerning aspect of healthcare that demands attention. Medication errors compromise patient safety and standard of care. Medical mistakes can stem from various factors, such as misinterpretation of prescriptions, incorrect labelling, or medical negligence. In the worst cases, errors can result in adverse drug reactions, treatment delays or even death. Stringent reporting and quality control measures, including enhanced staff training and technological advancements, help mitigate these errors.

This article discusses the most common pharmacy errors and the incidence of these errors in community versus hospital pharmacies. We then explore why medication errors can result in death and why error reporting is crucial. Finally, we address whether medical errors breach UK law and when patients should seek medical negligence compensation.

Common pharmacy dispensing errors

Medication errors are the most common cases of medical errors. However, most of these are drug administration errors in hospitals. Pharmacies dispense millions of prescription medications daily, and mistakes sometimes occur. Medication mistakes can have severe consequences if a patient ingests an incorrect or inappropriate drug/dosage.

We outline the most common errors that occur in pharmacies:

• Providing the incorrect medication that does not match the prescription
• Providing the wrong dosage that’s either too potent or not potent enough
• Providing contradictory or inaccurate medical advice
• Failing to provide the patient with medication all together
• Failing to acknowledge a patient’s medical history
• Failing to identify a possible adverse drug interaction

These types of mistakes can result from manufacturing or packaging faults, a failure in the system or training protocols. However, when these errors result from clinical negligence, this could lead to legal action. Root cause analysis helps determine whether the Prescribing doctor, the pharmacy technician, the pharmacist or the institution is responsible for the error.

Medication errors in community vs hospital pharmacies

We trust pharmacies to dispense our medications correctly, whether we’re visiting an outpatient facility or a community pharmacy. Unfortunately, the rate of medication errors in hospital and community pharmacies sits between 0-3%, with more errors occurring in community pharmacies. This low rate of mistakes can amount to as much as 80,000+ medication errors daily.

Community pharmacies could see higher error rates due to poorer communication between facilities, outdated prescription-tracking systems, staffing issues or even training protocols. It’s essential to review training programs regularly and automate medication dispensing where possible to reduce the risk of human error.

Pharmacy errors resulting in death

In the worst-case scenario, a patient receiving the wrong medication could become severely unwell and pass away. Experts estimate that between 1,700 and 22,000 patients die every year after receiving the incorrect medication from a pharmacy. This figure is far from astronomical when we consider how many medications are issued daily, but we must ask why medication errors lead to wrongful death.

We outline the most common reasons that medication errors can lead to death below:

• Failing to acknowledge a possible adverse drug interaction
• Failing to acknowledge medical history, such as a medication allergy
• Providing an unnecessarily high dose of medication

Regular training programs and ensuring staff double-check information before handing over the medication help circumvent these errors.

Has someone in your family passed away after receiving the wrong medication?

Get in touch with medical negligence lawyers to build a case.

How to report a pharmacy error

Accurate medication error reporting is crucial for preventing future errors. Every healthcare professional must keep detailed records of medical mistakes, including pharmacists. However, patients can help pharmacists keep records of these mistakes by reporting them as soon as possible.

If you notice you have the wrong medication, you should not take any more medication and contact your doctor immediately. Then contact the dispensing pharmacy to report the error. Provide as much detail to the pharmacy staff as possible and retain any drug packaging – this helps identify the mistake.

The appropriate authority performs root-cause analyses, and the responsible pharmacist is held accountable. The reports guide training programs and help identify system pitfalls or staffing issues.

Do pharmacy dispensing errors breach UK law?

The law takes medical errors very seriously because of their potential consequences, and medication errors are the most common type. However, in most cases, medication errors don’t result in legal action. The patient affected by the mistake usually seeks resolution through a formal complaint rather than a legal claim.

The three different outcomes that patients affected by medical mistakes can seek are as follows:

• Accountability: the responsible individual or organisation could face internal disciplinary measures or additional training, but the patient receives nothing.
• Compensation: the affected individual receives financial compensation proportional to their losses resulting from medical malpractice.
• Retribution: the responsible individual or organisation could face prosecution for their medical misconduct.

Could you be eligible for medical negligence compensation?

As we have discussed, not every medication error can result in a compensation claim. You could be eligible for compensation if you have experienced severe harm or suffered severe losses which directly resulted from medical negligence. We categorise losses into general damages and special damages, detailed below:

• General damages: any physical or psychological harm such as an adverse drug event, a persistence of your condition, pain and suffering or psychological distress.
• Special damages: any financial losses resulting from the pharmacy error, including earnings loss, medical expenses, transport costs or tuition costs.

You need to prove that the damages directly resulted from pharmacy staff failing to uphold a duty of care. We define medical negligence as a failure to uphold a standard of care expected of another reasonably competent healthcare professional in the same position.

Suspect medical negligence as the cause of your harm? Speak to a clinical negligence solicitor.

You can understand the possible compensation available at your free consultation with a team of specialist medical lawyers. For Compensation estimations, read our guide on pharmacy error compensation.