While a pharmacist’s ability to cause harm is not limited to the medications they do or do not dispense, error can have severe consequences for patients. Take, for example, that a pharmacist dispenses the wrong drug; their patient could be at risk for any number of adverse events, including an allergic reaction, a bad drug interaction (when one drug adversely interacts with another drug), health complications, and even death. Common sense says the pharmacists should be held liable in this situation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Common Mistakes Made by Pharmacists

Based on an analysis conducted by the Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO), wrong drug dispersion and wrong dose calculation accounted for the majority of the mistakes made by pharmacists over the course of 10 years – 75.3 percent combined (43.8 percent and 31.5 percent, respectively).

One in 20 adults in the United States (approximately 12 million people) are misdiagnosed by their doctors each and every year. At least half of those people could suffer from serious repercussions. For instance, a Journal of American Medical Association published study found that around 20 percent of all medical errors each year involve delayed cancer diagnosis.

Cancers Commonly Misdiagnosed

According to the previously mentioned study, the most common delayed cancer diagnoses are lung, breast, and colorectal cancers; in fact, they make up about 10 percent of all medical errors. The remaining 10 percent are delayed diagnoses of all other cancers. Examples include ovarian cancers, which a NHS survey found an average diagnostic delay of about 90.3 days; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (delayed by an average of 102.8 days); and prostate cancer (average delay of 148.5 days).

By Timothy Tomsik

Norovirus, an extremely contagious virus, is generally caused by poor hygiene and then spread through food or drink sources. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 50 percent of the approximately two million cases each year are contracted through food. This and other possible factors are thought to be responsible for the recent outbreak at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center.

Norovirus Illness

Most patients check into a hospital expecting to get better. Sadly, this is not always the case; doctors, surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare professionals sometimes make critical mistakes that end up doing more harm than good. Even more disturbing is that, according to recent data, the prevalence of these medical errors has increased over the years at an alarming rate.

Medical Mistakes: Then and Now

By Timothy Tomasik

According to a recent study, medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Many can be attributed to hospital errors, which can make them immediate and especially critical. However, medical errors with fatal or life-altering consequences do not just occur in hospitals; they can happen in doctor’s offices and clinics as well. Wherever the error happens, the mistakes are often the same, and even the best of doctors can make them.

Misdiagnosis