1. Are mistakes in the filling of prescriptions happening more frequently now?

There appears to be an increase in the number of misfilled prescriptions over the last several years. Several studies have noted this increase and noted the resulting injuries and deaths.

2. What are believed to be the causes of the increasing number of errors by pharmacists and pharmacies?.

The most common causes are thought to be the following: fewer clerical employees, longer shifts for pharmacists, greater numbers of prescriptions to fill, pressure to produce more filled prescriptions in a given time, failure to properly train or supervise pharmacy employees, confusing or poorly written prescriptions, and similar drug names.

3. What are the kinds of errors that occur when prescriptions are misfilled?

While there can be a number of specific errors the most common error categories are the printing of improper dosages for a correct medication and the filling of a prescription with a totally incorrect and unintended drug.

4. What are the consequences of a prescription being misfilled with a totally incorrect and unintended drug?

At the very least the patient is not taking the drug that was prescribed for a condition or ailment and is taking another drug that may be harmful. In the first situation, for example, a cardiac patient may not be receiving an important medication that is intended to avoid the formation of blood clots. As a result the patient may have a stroke that could lead to a permanent injury or death. In the second situation, it has been reported that some patients have erroneously received a blood thinner, such as Coumadin, that caused bleeding to occur, leading to a collection of blood in the retroperitoneal space, brain damage, or death.

5. Is the misfilling of a prescription always detected by someone after the initial error is made?

The likelihood of discovery before the wrong medication is taken is very low because of the trust that most patients place in their pharmacy and their lack of knowledge regarding the appearance of medications or the correct dosages. Worse, many prescription errors are never discovered because no one ever investigates thoroughly why the patient suddenly took a turn for the worse. There is often very little reason to check the contents of a presciption bottle. For these and other reasons an error in filling a prescription can sometimes go completely undetected by the patient, the doctor, and family members.