Pharmacy mistakes are inevitable, and too frequent.

As promised, Article 1 of "The Legend-Rx Only" by Kevin Lasick, Pharm.D.

This is a test for format and reader appreciation.

How often do pharmacies make a mistake? The Auburn University study titled "National Observational Study of Prescription Dispensing Accuracy and Safety in 50 Pharmacies", published by JAPHa March-April 2003 explains what really happens and how often. Highly summarized results: Overall accuracy rate of pharmacies is 98.3%. Translated to simple math; At a rate of 4 *errors per day in a typical pharmacy filling 250 prescriptions daily, an estimated 51.5 million errors occur during the filling of 3 billion prescriptions each year. *An error for this study is defined as "any deviation from the prescriber's order" I would also like to include California B&P code 4073. (c) reads; ....There shall be no liability on the prescriber for any act or omission by a pharmacist...pursuant to this section. Pharmacists are human. Mistakes will be made, but this data is horrifying to me. I always precept and mentor others to "do what the prudent pharmacist would do" and nothing less. Also noteworthy, corporations understand that if pharmacists are not submitting reports of quality related incidents at the rate of least 1 per week, and the mistakes are being "swept under the rug", liability increases.

As a note of current interest in California, newly updated Health & Safety Code 11162.1 (a) (15) will be held to strict enforcement by some pharmacies and pharmacists, while others are poised to willfully disregard it based on pushback from CPHA, NCPDP, Medical Board of California and recorded information that the State Board of Pharmacy will not take any action against pharmacies or pharmacists regarding this until after July 1, 2019.