Drug Errors

[howe928]

I think errors will always occur because we are humans. However, Our mistakes will be fatal because they are related to human health. We should try every possible procedure to prevent mistakes.

I made several mistakes during my practice. Everytime I made mistake, I feel depressed and hate my job. I cannot help myself with that. I get worried very much to the degree I do not want to dispense anymore in this day.
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I also notice something. Physicians do not worry about their mistakes as we do, why? Pateints also think that we make mistakes but not the doctors, why?

i know how you feel, recently i had a dispensing error,i thought it was urgent for patient to receive treatment and trusted what carer told me was true and swap dosage form without ringing doctor to check (broken both SOP and normal checking route- not check suitable licensed age), and later found out by another pharmacist it is unlicensed for that age for that form

think life as pharmacist is hard

[SolomonQ]

I also notice something. Physicians do not worry about their mistakes as we do, why? Pateints also think that we make mistakes but not the doctors, why?

the reason is simple, their representative body provides full support to them if any of them make a mistake, while i've heard on this forum (and I have no need to not believe) that dispensing mistake by a pharmacists is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE.(actually could could someone point me to the source of this ruling or any examples)

Doctor's see mistakes as an unavoidable part of their jobs and throughout their training are taught how to cope with them, excuses like stree, high workload etc.. are used to justify these mistakes.

Patients think we make mistakes because a doctor's mistake doesnt get spoted unless it comes through us, e.g. a prescribing error, and alot of pharmacists following guidelines of no blame policy dont go to their patient and say "this-and-this is the mistake your doctor made and it could have killed you unless I spotted it", what happens is that while the pharmacist is trying to get hold of the doctor on the phone to try to get a mistake changed, the patient is thinking whys it taking that much time to take the box of the shelf and put it in a bag.

also remember the saying "Doctor knows best", alot of patients assume for some reason the docotr knows more about medicine than pharmacist, Doctor's might have studied medicine but hey WE are the ones who actually STUDIED medicine.

[Raju]

e mistake your doctor made and it could have killed you unless I spotted it", what happens is that while the pharmacist is trying to get hold of the doctor on the phone to try to get a mistake changed, the patient is thinking whys it taking that much time to take the box of the shelf and put it in a bag..

I actually make a point of pointing out all prescribing errors to patients and carers. They are all really thankful, and it improves their perception of the role of a pharmacist.

Yesterday, I intervened in an incorrect H.Pylori eradication script, and the patients dad who was there with the patient told his son, "he (me) stopped an error for me too once, and for (name of another patient)".

Once there was a patient who had gliclazide and pioglitazone was above recommended dose (for the first time). I tried to contact the dr but receptionists would not put me through. The patient in this case took it out on me blaming me for being interfering. However about 5 days later the doctor changed his medicines based on my recommendation, and I gave him a diabetes CD and booklet, and a couple of months later he was very thankful as his HBA1C was right under control. This man does not live close to the pharmacy where I work, but he always comes here since that date (before he was a floater).

My point is WE SHOULD ALWAYS PROMOTE OUR INTERVENTIONS TO PATIENTS. It pays off massively on how we are perceived and treated as professionals. Obviously we are not supposed to unnecessarily reduce a patient's confidence in their doctor, but at the same time promoting our interventions justifies our existence - (otherwise why not let GPs dispense universally - most patients who dont know about the kinds of interventions we make on their behalf would say that GP dispensing would be more convenient. Only patients who know our value will support us when given a choice.