How Do Pharmacy Technicians Contribute to Pharmacy Malpractice?

Pharmacy technicians can accept prescriptions from patients, locate the medication in the pharmacy, count the pills, dose it, and affix the label to the bottle. The only thing they aren’t supposed to do is answer questions about medication or make any recommendations to patients. This is when they turn to a pharmacist.

While technicians can fill prescriptions, pharmacists are supposed to check the prescriptions for accuracy. The difference between a pharmacist and technician is education. Pharmacists need about six years to acquire the appropriate education. The courses include learning about pharmaceuticals, their side effects, and how they interact with one another. Pharmacy technicians can have a career after as little as two semesters. The difference in education ultimately makes pharmacists liable for any errors or negligence that occurs.

Although there is a notable difference in education, pharmacy technicians have increasingly more responsibility, especially at retail chain pharmacies. Likewise, they are contributing to more occurrences of pharmacy malpractice.

What constitutes pharmacy malpractice?

Whether the pharmacy error occurs at the hands of a technician or pharmacist, it usually involves the incorrect drug being given to the wrong patient or an incorrect dose being given to the right patient. When pharmacy malpractice occurs, a patient can suffer adverse reactions, become ill, or even die as a result.

Pharmacy technicians are increasingly making errors by filling the wrong drug or the wrong dose, while pharmacists are failing to detect inappropriate doses, wrong directions, or wrong medication.

If you have been a victim of pharmacy malpractice, our pharmacy malpractice lawyers are committed to helping you receive financial compensation for the wrongs you suffered. To find out about your rights, call 888-526-7616 for a free consultation today and a FREE copy of our report, How to Make Pharmacies Pay for Injuries Caused by Medication Errors.