Pharmacy mistakes: What happens when drug stores mix up meds (CBC Marketplace)
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- Опубліковано 22 січ 2015
- Originally broadcast January 23, 2015
We rely on pharmacists when we're sick. But what happens if they make a mistake?
We're investigating pharmacy errors, taking hidden cameras into 50 Canadian pharmacies in the largest test of its kind in Canada. Do pharmacists dispense the right advice and catch potentially dangerous drug interactions? And who's tracking the mistakes that happen?
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The phamicist saved my life once refusing to fill a script. I drove straight back to my doctor mad I had been refused. Turns out my doctor overlooked and prescribed something that would have interacted with my other meds. Got a new script and I thanked the phamicist for picking up the potentially lethal error
Ben Tv Howman wow, that’s great of them.
My pharmacist at CVS has saved my life on the same way.
Your DOCTOR WAS INCOMPETENT!
Replace the pharamcists with machines. Cheaper, more accurate, safer, faster. Why are we still trusting humans to dispense medication. This can and should be handled by computers.
I always appreciate when they ask all the questions they have to when you take a med
I think another issue that the general population doesn't understand is that the customer's coming into the pharmacy don't want to wait, they get very annoyed if you tell them more than a 20 minute wait time because most of them are sick and cranky. They say things like "don't you just put it in a bottle and put a label on it" everyone is in such a hurry... It's the checks that take the most time. People need to understand this and be patient.
At my pharmacy, you need to give them 24 hours advance.
@Throngdorr Mighty oh yes, isn't that the go to? The person with the least power to defend themselves.
Pharmacist needs to take self esteem lessons or communiacation classes they MUST be strong and tell patients that in order for Pharmacist to Not make errors they need to take sufficient time ie the time pharmacist says they need to fill prescription .tell patients whrn u come to Walmart or whatever store it is go straight to pharmacy drop prescription off then patient do other shopping ho get coffee browse magazines phone a friend ie whatever they need to do to pass the 20 minutes or whatever amount of time has been told to them by pharmacist that it woll take SO ASK 1st how ling will it be.go away and add 10 minutes.
Replace the pharamcists with machines. Cheaper, more accurate, safer, faster. Why are we still trusting humans to dispense medication. This can and should be handled by computers.
You’re 100% right. They do need to be patient. Maybe it should be explained to people how this works so those people that way understand.
The pharmacy I work at deals with on average people I serve in day (phone/entry/cash) 200 to 600 people. Then there's rush hours. A lot of people can't even wait.
We tell them 15mins which is fair. They then come back in 3mins and complain that it's just pills and shouldn't take so long.
They want us to just hand them pills. Also we actually have corrected doctors cuz what they gave could harm the patient.
So really this is unfair and just for shock and awe
When i was in a busier pharmacy it was the same.
exactly! news entities thrive on creating drama and shock to those who watch to try and increase ratings.
***** You should check out our webcast at MedicationCounseling.com.. We address the volume issue encountered by busy pharmacies.
Guest Guest what do you mean by unjust?
We are committed to providing pharmacy education to the public and advocating for safer pharmacy practices. This includes maximizing on volume which is a practice most chain pharmacies engage in. This means compromising on patient counseling in order to process more prescriptions... not just unjust... unconscionable.
oh my god, I cringe so much at that higher up they interview who has just memorized a couple of ambiguous lines
She's actually listening on an earpiece, that's why she asked for the pause, so she could let them conjugateher sentence for her. She is a mouthpiece, a spokesman.
That's absolutely horrible. How disingenuous, it makes me sick.
MetroidChild I think she’s just trying not to get fired lol
The media training is clear here. Like lesson 1, take the focus from the negative to the positive - when she turns that almost half has gotten some advice (ignoring that 27 out of 50 gave no advice what so ever) .. it's clear that they gave her training before the interview, but erica noticed right away, thats why she asked her to rate the preformance 1-10, wich clearly didn't come up at the training for the blond woman. She lost her track & had to pause & think.. tragic..
@Don Mega Could be head of PR, either way it's cringe city.
There are 2 aspects which came to mind watching this documentary.
1) The report failed to indicate the physicians responsibility in prescribing such medications. He is also aware, in most cases, of the history and present circumstances of his/her patient and should not be prescribing medications which could interfere with others. Nor should medications be prescribed without similar verbal precautions as would be offered by the pharmacist.
2) The patient should also be responsible for asking questions about side-effects and possible interference with other meds.
Take control of your you own life!!!
couldn't agree more
The other problem is (i currently working as a pharmacy tech)..sometimes people DOES NOT filled all their medications at one pharmacy(or within the same chain). IF they do, any drug interactions would alerts the pharmacist. DUHHHH!!! cuz some people like to go to different places.
ALso...YES People need to take control of their own medications. sometimes its not even the patient picking up their OWN prescription...it could be their family members friends, caregivers, or even neighbors(yeh really)...and we are trained to offer pharmacist counseling EVERY SINGLE customers. some get even annoyed when we offered..even get pissed off...or answered "its not for me"..and so on..SO WHAT Can you do really???
Tiffany Phan Thanx for your input. You have raised some interesting points.
The fact that some people get annoyed is hard to deal with, I understand. But your integrity and professionalism are what count. After that it is on the conscience of those who pick up the prescriptions. Sadly, you can only do so much and it sounds like you are a professional. Good for you.
Fred Lewis,, As a patient, I can say I see several specialists and each one may prescribe different medicines too and not communicate that back to the GP and other doctors you might be seeing. + as much as I hate to say this, some patients lie to doctors, so doctors so often don't have the complete story of a given patient.
they did mention it
A lot of the customers frequenting these pharmacies are to blame as well. Putting unrealistic expectations on pharmacy staff and then bitching when your precious time is taken away so we can assure accuracy when dispensing is ridiculous. Especially when they become shocked that errors are made. Do the math! Also stop bitching that you are not getting your prescription fast enough.
Sometimes when I go in to get my heart medication they are busy and tell me it might be an hour before it will be ready. I usually just go get lunch and come back in an hour or so. I know that they are busy and sometimes you do have to wait.
starting at 14:33 the CPA rep goes into damage control, completely evading the questions at hand, and even pauses to recall the rest of the damage control speech. Pathetic.
Fact: The most common reasons for medications errors are : Prescribing, Administration. NOT dispensing.
This lady from CPA did a very poor job. She just avoided all the questions and talked non-sense. Very bad PR and very damaging to the pharmacy profession. Nothing was said to address the incidents and to regain patient confidence.Totally unacceptable.
Yes, it feels like she went in with the intention of deflecting and defending when it should have been about empathizing with the concerns presented and giving us a reason to feel confident.
An incident like this breaks my heart as I work in a pharmacy as a technician. At my pharmacy we take every precaution we can think of where it goes through our pharmacist twice one on the way to the filling station and once on its way back to be sold. We have scanners that match ndc numbers to the medication prescribed and if any red flags appear the prescription is "capped" so when it reaches the register to be sold and when it is scanned it lets that technician know that the patient needs to speak with the pharmacist and can not be sold until the pharmacist speaks with the patient and types in what the patient told them. Not all pharmacies are too busy for their patients. The only thing I ask of our patients is please learn patience. We care about you as a person but we also care about every other patient not just you. Understand that taking care of the best interests of every patient takes time. So please don't be rude and holler and cause a scene when it takes us 30 minutes to fill your prescription and have it ready when we told you 20 minutes. Those ten minutes could have been used to save someone's life.
I can look at my file online to see the status if the rx has been filled. So I dont have to phone or wait...
Replace the pharamcists with machines. Cheaper, more accurate, safer, faster. Why are we still trusting humans to dispense medication. This can and should be handled by computers.
@@mortgageapprovals8933 This is impossible. A computer can't read a doctors handwriting, it can't call a doctor to let him know about an interaction or a possible written error. It can't call an insurance company when there is a problem. A computer can't speak to an 80 year old lady who is hard oh hearing to counsel her on her drugs. A computer can't look into a bottle and make sure the drug inside matches the label, or that the correct amount is in the bottle. Who is going to fill the script? Even if it's a machine, who fills the machines with medications? Who counts them out? maybe a technician, but I can't think of any pharmacy that legally is able to be open without a pharmacist on duty. While computers "assist" the pharmacist, it can never replace them.
The doctor should have checked her chart and been the FIRST line of defense. I have worked in Pharmacies and know it is hard to catch everything. I have been to so many drs myself and they rarely check my chart and I have to remind them over and over what I am allergic to. It is ludicrious!
Although some of these oversights are disappointing, some people neglect to see the overlapping facts. Nationwide, over 450M prescriptions were dispensed in 2014 and if approx. 50,000 errors were made, less than 1% of the amount of dispensed drugs from 2014 were mistakes.
But I completely agree with the unidentified pharmacist when he mentioned about the increase in pressure trying to meet certain expectations (corporational or meeting customers needs). Pharmacies typically fill hundreds of prescriptions each day. It's important to understand that filling your prescriptions takes time and has to be filled in proper processes to avoid the risk of error before releasing the medication to the patient, as well as the fact of how pharmacists/staff fill the prescription in priority of sequence. Which it is an important reason why we shouldn't try to put pressure on the pharmacy staff to finishing your prescription or getting to your consultation at a faster rate, this just causes more chances of mistakes being made.
It is up to us as the patient to be as well informed about what we are being treated for and what exactly we are being prescribed for what purpose and to verify with your pharmacist if there is a chance of interaction with your other medication (both over and behind the counter medications).
Like your comment.
thx
"Although some of these oversights are disappointing, some people neglect to see the overlapping facts. Nationwide, over 450M prescriptions were dispensed in 2014 and if approx. 50,000 errors were made, less than 1% of the amount of dispensed drugs from 2014 were mistakes. "
Thank you for beating me to pointing this out. It is easy for news entities to blow things outve proportions to increase ratings but rarely do you seem them reassuring by pointing out firgures like this 1% error rate in a year is pretty reassuring. Doctors misdiagnose people all the time and never get scrutinized for it, i would also bet its higher than 1%.
Replace the pharamcists with machines. Cheaper, more accurate, safer, faster. Why are we still trusting humans to dispense medication. This can and should be handled by computers.
According to this Chanel’s research , pharmacists makes 50,000 dispensing errors out of 600 million prescriptions in Canada ..... common guys that’s like 0.00083% .... I want to ask these team who made this video , are you guys 100% perfect in what you do .? You don’t even make 0.0008% mistake in life. It’s patients’ duty as well to inform pharmacist if they are on any medication or not. People like to wait 20 min in Tim Hortons drive through line up but they don’t want to wait 15 min for prescription.
So why don’t we respect what pharmacists are doing and cooperate them.
But there mistakes effect people's lifes / health
Replace the pharamcists with machines. Cheaper, more accurate, safer, faster. Why are we still trusting humans to dispense medication. This can and should be handled by computers.
As someone who takes multiple medications and has to be very careful of what I take, even OTC (over the counter) medications or supplements, I say this:
What happened to self-accountability? I am responsible for my own well-being. It is my job to question doctors, pharmacists, etc... to be sure what I am planning to take is not going to cause major interactions.
I also applaud the investigations Marketplace does to help keep us informed, and hopefully safer.
My advice to those who don’t have the ability to understand detailed medical information and research for themselves:
1.) Before you leave your doctor (when getting a new medication prescribed), ask “Will this interact with any of my current medications, and if so, how?” Ask your doctor to look it up (there are databases they consult).
2.) Then, when you go to fill your prescription at the pharmacy, ask for a consult with the pharmacist and ask the same question(s).
It is unlikely, though not impossible, that both medical professionals will miss potential interactions. It is also worth the few minutes wait to double check this information for your own safety.
That association representative is VERY good at saying nothing in so many words! 3 seconds into her talking I already don't trust her!
She sounds like a politician reading from a script.
@@thomson872 Basically IS one
Man, that Jane of the Canadian Pharmacy Association is nothing more than an organic tape recorder.
I don't understand the doctor writes the prescription the pharmacist fill it the pharmacist should not be held accountable for any wrong prescription that is written on a prescription from a medical doctor. The blame should be on the doctor. Unless the pharmacist misinterpreted the prescription
Cmon, be realistic. She received the instructions from her doctor, why the heck the pharmacist has to go into "research mode" just to prove the doctor right. Imagine staying in long lines because every pharmacist has to go through your medical records...
Lilian Yes so true! I mean the doctor already knows your medical history and should know if they interact.
Lilian it's called checks and balances. It's a system that usually always works. Nothing is perfect.
16:00 when I’m nervous about a test at school 😂
you cant expect pharmacists to know how every single drug reacts with every other drug, unless when you say your on something you want them to go back and look it up and check
Count them. EVERY TIME especially schedule or expensive ones. I never did since I went to the same pharmacy for 10 yrs and spent $450 month and knew everyone. After picking up a large order, I bought a new monthly pill organizer and one opiate bottle was not 90 but 60. Went up in person and showed the pharmacist and had the store manager there. They did a "inventory", apologized and gave me 30 more. Noticed one long time assistant "quit" shortly after.
That's a big relief I thought when they said mistake they meant that you ask for one thing and they give you another.
In 2013 I was prescribed a medication which I had never taken before. I filled my prescription at Shoppers Drugmart, and when I went to pick up my medication the pharmacist did not talk to me about it and basically rushed me to pay and be on my way. It turns out it was not my prescription, it was another patients heart medication. My heart rate was sky high after taking this medication, and I had to be rushed to the hospital. I was given medication intravenously to reset my heart, but that didn't work so I had to be defibrillated three times. It was extremely scary, I thought I was going to die. The Shoppers Drugmart pharmacist did not do their job to ensure the right prescription was going to the right patient, or to go over the medication with me. It was pure negligence and I sued since I nearly died. So if you have a new prescription, make sure you talk to your pharmacist regardless if they are busy to not, your life could very well depend on it.
Nina, that is scary to say the least!
Well that’s a specific bad pharmacist error. And I hope you sue that pharmacist! That is a very different case than forcing a pharmacy to discuss and know every pt’s medical records. Look at how much money doctors make!
Replace the pharamcists with machines. Cheaper, more accurate, safer, faster. Why are we still trusting humans to dispense medication. This can and should be handled by computers.
I always research drug interactions myself before I take a prescription. Yes, I agree that the prescribing physician and pharmacist should see potential dangers but the individual should also look into the interaction.
We rely on media to inform us when we're uninformed. But what happens when the media is biased?
The reporter needs to start visiting Doctor's offices and see just why these Pharmacies are being overrun with so many errors in the first place. Hokey "journalism" if ever I've seen it.
M Wareham Doctors get it wrong on occasion, yeah...
THIS investigative documentary is about the very last line of defence failing! Worse, pharmacists have a legal duty to check for contraindicated meds
I was prescribed Tylenol 3 for an injury and when I went to look at my pills the next day there were other pills mixed in with the correct pills. I accidentally took one of the incorrect pills because they looked similar. I felt horrible. I looked it up online and it was another heart med. I was already on a different heart medication. Now I check all my pills before leaving the store.
This could have been done with any part of healthcare and the results would be the same. Asking staff to do too much with too little staff to drive the companies bottom line to the detriment of patients. It is a good idea to research and read information about the medications you are taking yourself. This is the same story in America also.
Exactly! Ontario Minister of Health should initiate a public inquiry into the Ontario College of Pharmacists Registrar's and his team "public protection" pseudo-efforts. The are the ONES publicly MISLEADING the public that they truly protect patients' safety! The OCP should be abolished like the British Columbia College of Teachers was abolished in BC as dysfunctional by the Ministry of Education in 2012
I was straight addicted to tylenol 1s for 7 years. I started taking it because of severe tooth pain, but quickly found myself finding excuses to take it more frequently... at my peak, I would take 5-6 when I woke up, another 3 or 4 maybe 2 hours later and kept going at 4 every couple hours until I went to bed at night. It was bad....
I would go through a bottle of 100 in 2-3days. I would go from pharmacy to pharmacy... so happy I havnt touched them in 2 years now. Never the hell again.
It's always wise to check the interactions online of the regular medications you are taking. Very easy with helpful website tools. If any alerts come up, you can ask the pharmacist about the relevance of an interaction.
I'm a pharmacy assistant in Australia and we have similar guidelines. You wouldn't believe how agressive some cutsomers get when you follow protocol.
STORY TIME: I know this is older but I'm sure people still watch this video. Recently I've gotten very sick. I've had stomach trouble for the past few years, I assume a lot of which was from past opiate abuse. I'm on a treatment program, and taking suboxone. A couple years before that, I was prescribed Effexor for depression. For my stomach problems, the only thing that worked was Odansatron, (Zofran). It should have been the doctors that brought it up knowing what I was on, but also the pharmacy I go to makes a point of checking what I'm on, to make sure it's what is right for me. (Or anyone, its their slogan )No one brought anything up, some seemed a little hesitant... which I didn't know why. Finally a few weeks ago, one pharmacist warned me about "serotonin syndrome", saying that because all three of those medications worked with it, I'm at risk. It explained a few symptoms I got. Because it's been awhile that I've been taking the combo, he said I'm probably safe BUT HE WAS THE ONLY ONE OUT OF ALL THOSE DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS TO DISPENSE MY MEDICATION KNOWING WHAT I WAS ON TO BRING IT UP. he didn't care that there were other people waiting, he did the right thing, and gave me a list of things to look for to avoid it, warning signs, and things to avoid. (Heavy exercise, stimulating activity, fast upbeat music,caffeine, etc... 😫) which made sense.. I always felt crazy after my coffee, and shaky. I can't say I can stop exercising.. but I'm smarter with what I do and take breaks. I told him I really appreciated him helping me because no one else had brought this up to me before, they all just bit their lip, warned maybe I should take less Zofran without telling me why, (when I asked, they said it's just healthier to take less), or just asked why I took any of the above and nodded then filled and dispensed to me. I'm happy there are certain people out there that will look out for you. I just wonder why so many of these people didn't say anything ? Maybe because they trusted the doctors decision and didn't want to question it, or it was too busy. But there's my story !
Ps: it is my responsibility to question what I am taking, but when the doctor explains each drug individually, I believed I knew enough. I don't know the interactions with each other.. I assumed my doctor or pharmacist would let me know. I've met great pharmacists who take the time to explain what it is I'm taking and side effects when I'm new to something. Others don't say much.
I was lucky because a pharmacist noticed a mistake my doctor had made . I had 2 items on my prescription that interacted with each other , and he told me about it .
however, i do support the thesis that big companies are no friends of the average person
I’m a pharmacy assistant. Without experience. Started working a month ago. I haven’t been trained even properly and every time I ask for it they keep saying we’re busy you learn as you do the job. I had no idea I had to go through these steps for handing out Tylenol.
When i lived in Japan, pharmacists would stamp their name and professional registration on your receipt, and some of them even included their photo. I found it so cool, a stamped photo.
My parents were both Pharmacists, graduating in the 1960s. The amount of errors they caught, especially those made by doctors, was amazing!
They understood the dangers of contra-indicated medications, remained up to date with all the new drugs coming out, and genuinely cared about the patient and their own profession.
that's their job.
@@ihategooglesomuch of course it is!
This documentary highlights the gap in care between physicians and pharmacists. Some drug interactions are theoretical in nature and will not cause any harm, and some drug interactions can indeed cause harm to the patient. When an interaction is detected, you can look to an alternative medication to avoid the interaction, but in some cases this is difficult to avoid. If unavoidable, you can recommend to monitor a patient's serum electrolytes (if the risk if hyperkalemia) or perform an ECG to look for QT prolongation (which is what I suspect happened to this man's mother). The pharmacist can notify the physician about the interaction, and recommend ordering further lab tests, as well as notifying the patient to look for signs and symptoms associated with such adverse effects. Pharmacists do not have access to a patient's complete medical history, lab results and may not be aware of other medications a patient is taking if they are going to several pharmacies. This is a key aspect that is missing in order for pharmacists to make an acurate clinical judgement. I hope that pharmacists gain more access to patients' complete medical profile and most importantly have/take the time to review the profile to provide safe and quality care.
(WV, US) Our pharmacist take things above & beyond. My son was put on Adderall 2mg... before the pharmacist would fill it he requested to see an EKG test results. He quite possibly saved my son's life.
This is a very good investigating show..
This is why I always always read the information that comes in the medication box
I use a local pharmacy in Abbotsford. My pharmacist would never make a serious mistake; he is great at his job. When I was diagnosed as a diabetic, he did a one-on-one interview with me about managing my health. The pharmacy is Gladwin Pharmacy.
I had this happen to me. But I questioned it, he was giving me more than I would have needed. He apologized, he was an older man, I didn't tell anyone in the drugstore, but I think he either quit or they let him go.
I really think that people taking or about to take any drugs should consider googling it for possible side effects and interactions. This as well should be the 'norm'. We have to work on both ends.
The report forgot to mention that over 99% prescriptions are filled correctly. The responsibility should rely on the big chains that do not put into place enough staffing for the pharmacists to do their jobs safely. most pharmacists are being rushed and interrupted every second. lets put the blame on BIG CHAINS and not pharmacists and btwThe error is less than 1 percent which is pretty damn good. we should be praising pharmacists for what they do everyday.This report is biased on every level.
I'm glad I live in the United States every and any time I ever get medications from my doctor they asked me what other medications I am on so to be sure I I'm not mixing medications that do not need to be mixed and when I go to the pharmacy they asked the same question
If your Pharmacy is understaffed (Which most are) you will get mistakes. It's the Corporate bosses who should be ensuring there are enough staff for very very busy Pharmacies
Working in a retail drugstore, when I began working in the pharmacy as backup, I learned that on very busy days, instead of reviewing the prescriptions on a computer before they can be sold, the pharmacist will click review and accept without even looking at it.
Sometimes experienced technicians will even do the reviewing process and accept even though only the pharmacist is legally allowed to do that.
I have to say, we pharmacists have to do something about this. We are the drug experts and we swore to our profession that we will be part of our patient health care. Perhaps the problem is that the companies try to profit more by hiring less pharmacists thus the quality of manpower is compromised. Patients should also try to be more "patient". It's difficult to think when too much is demanded from you *siiiigh*
Joyce Gem companies care ONLY about profit, not about healthcare. untill pharmacies are money making business, not belonging to farmacists-everything will be the same
Never understood why spokes person of companies. Speak in such roboticness. They simply say what they've been told to say, they dont answer questions they simply talk around it. It's imo an open choice of ignorance.
I love how they are counting pills with an emery board. 🙄
pluckernil they don’t wash their hands; or those boards between counting out pills either. Gross and dangerous.
This is bogus. The it the doctor's and the patient job to make sure their medications don't have a dangerous interaction. Sure a pharmacist should inform the patient, but that's the most you can ask of them. Most of these big chain companies say on the paper they give you with the medication, which other medication they interact with. And because of this, the people working in the pharmacy don't even need to tell the patient anything, the patient just needs to read the information they are given.
I guess it would help to go to the same drug store and get to know your pharmacist and other staff ... I know it helps
when ever I hear I'm concerned or that's concerning, I know nothing is going to change
Manitoba, CANADA has already made these OTC codeine products(eg:T#1) prescription only drugs and put a monitoring system in place. Hopefully this is implemented in every province across Canada. These OTC codeine products should require a prescription and be more tightly regulated. Health Canada and the Pharmacy Colleges needs to take action.
So what if one patient uses more than one pharmacy and there is no time to go into investigation mode, just to get things rectified, while 10 other patients are still in line? Or what happens when the doctor who is to be contacted about a prescription is "too busy" to answer you??
LMAO when the doctor writes a prescription for poison and you blame the person who fills the prescription. It's big brain time
Here’s what we do. My husband carries a little card in his wallet with his medications. I carry it too. If he’s prescribed anything else... by his doctor, an emergency room, his dentist..., we take out the card and say,,,,
“will this have an adverse reaction “. We ask this again when we present the script at the pharmacy before it is filled. It’s not difficult . You can’t just wander in like a child and expect everyone look after you. Take some responsibility!
OH ME! This isn’t the Canada Michael Moore told me about! I feel so deceived ;)
Always ask questions and check your name on your pill bottle. I have a very common first and last name. I was once given the meds for another woman with the same first name and a similar last name. I was also once given a medication that it clearly states in my records I am allergic to. That's two in the last four months.
i think pharmacist are under a lot of pressure....when ur trying to take ur time n review information n counsel patients...there tend to be a build up of a lack of Patience among customers n confusion and complaining so u try your best to work quickly...efficiently...and considering saftey at d same time..its not very easy
I encourage everyone to submit prescriptions as early as possible and if the pharmacist looks busy consider doing your shopping and coming back. I try my best not to make the pharmacist or the other customers feel rushed, since I hate being rushed when I have concerns.
I heard stories in BC of people who died from interactions that the computer systems have alerts on them to display medication interactions but pharmacists actually turn them off. I understand why, because I think mixing any two meds will cause an upset stomach or something like that. But even with alerts turned off, the potentially fatal ones should still show up. I work in IT, and I'm willing to bet there was some cuts to the IT budget by these companies that put IT workers in a bind and that's why that was missed, and an IT professional's worst nightmare too is that a bug in their software causing someone's death. This cost cutting and shortcut taking done by big (often profitable) companies is putting a strain on everyone and costing lives. They can afford it, give the professionals they hire and/or consult with the time and budget to do their job right.
Solution: Get your prescriptions filled from a privately run pharmacy or apothecary who will always treat each customer with care, give as much time as needed and detailed information to safely take any medication.
I wonder if this is why I see so many small pharmacies appearing lately? Especially in neighborhoods with a lot of seniors. Maybe they are tired of dealing with the big box stores.
I went a doctor who I don't usually see but had all my medical records, I was given antibiotics. When I handed over the script the pharmacist asked if I was allergic to anything, when I said yes and what it was she said this is that drug. The doctor had prescribed the antibiotics that I'm allergic to. If not for the pharmacist I might not be here to write this as I never thought for a second that a doctor would make that mistake . Yes sometimes pharmacists get it wrong but sometimes they save your life.
My friend was fired from her Pharmacy assistant position because she caught an error that the pharmacist made. The wrong DIN number was issued and she caught it. He fired her on the spot
Every time she keeps saying "I cant comment" then what the hell are you here for
If Canadian doctors are writing 600,000,000 prescriptions per year, that works out to just over 17 each year for every man, woman, and child of Canada's 35,000,000 residents. That seems like a lot to me. I can remember taking very few prescription drugs growing up and am fortunate enough later in life to be free of any regular prescriptions, but I only go to doctors when it's absolutely necessary.
Andy Oldham Yeah but some ppl take like 3 a year and when you get older you take like 40
Avoid drugs as much as possible.
"treat every patient as if they were your father or your mother, and take the time to check what needs to be checked..."
I love my Zehr's pharmacy in Stratford, ON. As someone who takes 6 prescribed medications my pharmacy knows what prescription, OTC and shelved medications are safe. They also take the time I need to understand the medications. Pharmacies are also supposed to give an information pamphlet. The only problem I've had is that one of my medications is considered a Narcotic since it's for ADHD, the pharmacy is supposed to ask for ID and a signature, but don't.
It's interesting that the only industry that CBC marketplace have not investigated is the media industry.
Nursing Home - 09-10-20 - 09:12 PM - Nurse came in and attempted to give me wrong patients meds, which I told her the meds was not mine when she said the meds was Haldol (haloperidol) is an antipsychotic drug and Seroquel is known as an anti-psychotic drug. Neither of these meds I take. I told her she came back in my room 5 minutes later saying I was right. Can you imagine what would happen to me if I took those meds on top of my other meds.
I moved to Montreal 2 1/2 years ago and the pharmacists are really intense here! I couldn't even get a pharmacist to give me polysporin ear drops for what I knew was an ear infection (I've had lots as a kid) I did 3 pharmacy's and had to beg a pharmacist to give it to me otherwise they were telling me I needed a prescription. Even non natural gravol you can't get without asking for it!
My pharmacy is slow but always been alright. Called the doctors for me when my prescription wasnt in.
When asked if I'd taken a medication before, and I said no, they explained the basic side effects and made sure i knew what was taking. Always asked if I'm on other medication. Usually they ask what you are on but some of those names are hard to pronounce.
Half these issues come from people not wanting to wait and doctors giving wrong prescriptions.
I do understand tho, some of these are a little bad. Always should ask the questions!
I was given my pain meds and the pharmacy technician made a mistake and on the bottle had my name on as a doctor, and the doctor name as my name to be on it. And the man made a huge mistake and I could've been arrested for the wrong name on the bottle. And I was glad I looked at the bottle of pain medications for the future of this majority of my own life.
They think they're so cool not commenting
That's nuts. I hope you have changed those rules. Every pharmacist will check to make sure you know complications, how to take your meds, and will answer any of your questions every time you pick up your pills here in the states.
What people don't realize is that some customers are not regulars or do not have their records on file! If you have a drug/drug interaction make sure you tell a pharmacist what you are taking and how often! Please use common sense! I've worked for a loblaws drug store, and there has to be a fine line between customers and pharmacies doing their due diligence if we do not have your info on file or if we are super busy!
lol the pharmacy association representative was literally shitting her pants trying to come up with an explanation for the mistakes.
Working for several walk-in clinics, we would receive many calls from pharmacists double checking and or alerting the Doctors of their prescription errors. There were 2 cases where they actually saved the life of the patient! It's a sad fact of life where jobs fall prey to understaffing or overtaxing staff.
You can check drug interactions yourself online www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html. I believe that patients in Ontario should have access to the online electronic health record that doctors are already using, so they can catch mistakes and have them fixed. There should also be a provincial pharmacist's database, that all pharmacies can access that gives information about patients, their medications and the doctor who prescribed them. That way if a patient has to get medication at a different pharmacy than their usual one, the pharmacy can see what medications they're on.
LMFAOO THE BITCU THE IN PINK DRESS I ACTUALLY CANNOTTT
A very interesting report. One of the main problems appears to be lack of patient counselling and I agree, not enough of it occurs. Perhaps the reason is commercial - there is no fee for counselling, only for dispensing - although I also accept that the two things should form part of the one process. Regrettably, many pharmacies these days are enormous enterprises owned by corporates. The days of small independently owned pharmacies, where the owner is most likely the pharmacist dispensing your prescription, seem to be over. A lot of the forces that have made pharmacies larger in size rather than larger in numbers are about containing the overall cost of medication. Larger enterprises have economies of scale that allow for the distribution of prescription and over-the-counter medications at lower margins. Although the public benefits from having access to medications at a better price, with more pharmacists working for wages, rather than owning their own enterprises, perhaps there is less incentive to stand out in terms of really good service. This could be especially the case if salaried pharmacists are expected to meet targets in terms of Rx numbers per hour and that sort of thing.
If pharmacists do not take the trouble to provide contemporary information and counselling to the consumer, the time might come when the role is performed by technicians only. After all, studies show that pharmacists are no less likely to make errors than pharmacy technicians - (in terms of clerical errors at least). Most errors are in fact of a clerical rather than clinical nature - wrong drug selected, wrong strength selected etc.
That's just incorrect. I'm a pharmacist and I catch about 30 errors a day my technician makes. 95% of them are small errors but to say pharmacists make as many errors as technicians is false; at least in my experience.
Gosh, if your tech is making 30 errors - even small ones - each day, it might indicate your tech is not so well suited to his or her role. Most errors are of a clerical nature - incorrect selection, wrong strength, wrong quantity, misreading the prescription, inaccurately filling dosage containers and so on. A smaller number of errors are of a clinical nature - wrong dosage prescribed, incompatibilities/interactions prescribed etc.
I am not suggesting that a technician can even detect clinical errors, but clerical errors are within a well-trained technician's purview. What I am saying is that pharmacists make clerical errors at a similar rate to technicians. In some countries especially-accredited technicians check dose packs prepared by other technicians and their rate of detecting clerical errors (counting/selecting mistakes) is as good as when those packs are checked by a pharmacist.
Good processes and procedures minimize dispensing errors and the point I was trying to make is that errors are also prevented when the pharmacist is at the counter counselling the patient. It is the pharmacist-customer interaction that needs to be emphasized if pharmacists want to legitimize and protect their professional role, (IMO anyway). Bean counters would have the dispensing of medicines performed by technicians if they thought there was a saving in it - 'risk management' and all that sort of bullocks.
They should put up a cardboard sign that says "please tell your pharmacist about other drugs you are taking"
i been taking many drugs since 1997, and the only problem i have had is shortages on my morphine and oxy, as many as 3 to 4 short, each refile, i have changed were i get the filled many times, it was not until i totally stopped using big box stores and went to a small shop, that i have never had any more shortages..
if I take any kind of medicine I always make sure to do a little research myself. I'm not going to rely on someone at Wal-Mart to make sure I'm being safe with my health. regardless if they explain it to me or not.
some private insurance companies also bring drug interactions to the pharmacists attention by showing them a message when billing and having them a input a code to override it
Lmao did she really need to pause?
I'm just glad that my country has free perscriptions, and free health care.
When I get sick or something I bring all the medicine I was taking at that time so the doctors know what I'm taking.
My mom always complains why it takes a couple of hrs to get any of her prescriptions and even then she is told to wait longer. One time I had a student placement at a pharmacy and worked as a technician. I had the chance to experience hands on just what is going on. I also talked to the pharmacists and manager. In short, it is an unfair shitshow. We were unbelievably busy. It was insane. Only one pharmacist a shift had to handle pretty much everything. I was not supposed to handle narcotics but after a couple of days the pharmacist trusted me with its handling too just because she literally had no time to do everything. Biggest complaint was that the pharmacy was deliberately understaffed for the company to make more money. They appreciated my help even though I was not allowed or knew how to do many things as a student but still I was on my feet not having a second of a break doing my parts. It was insane...my mother should complain but not to the pharmacist.
My dad takes metformin And the pharmacist gave a look a like pill that helps seizures instead but it had the metformin label. He’s currently in the hospital getting his body cleaned out from that drug. It almost killed him
Ultimately a pharmacist's job is to fill prescriptions, regardless of however experienced and knowledgeable a pharmacist is, they are not a trained doctor. Additionally, they do not have access to a patient's medical history and circumstances which makes it impossible for a pharmacist to accurately determine whether one med is appropriate or not, or if there are other possible conflicts. Those kind of things are solely the prescribing doctors responsibility. If the pharmacist has any kind of concerns or questions regarding a prescription, they should contact the prescribing doctor.
Several years ago in Europe the doctors stopped all prescriptions, surgeries, and procedures except for life threatening emergencies in protest of the one wage for all. The result was that the funeral homes started getting mad because they were losing business as people stopped dying. Coincidence?
At 2:30... He sees us as the last line of defence... Duh! I never thought a non-pharmacist would see us like this... We are patient guardians & physician police... WANNA TELL these people:
I wish I could do my job, but I have to scan out these apples & motor oil at the moment.
God-forbid I say no to such a reasonable request as "do you mind if I put these through here too?" "The line up front is kinda long". Several times a day.
Maybe he should tell MORE people so that the public might be more informed & maybe become a little considerate?
IT IS THE FAULT OF THE PHARMACISTS, COLLECTIVELY, THAT WE ACCEPT THESE ENVIRONMENTS AS OK... Why would our colleges, schools or Govt. do ANYTHING if we say it's ok to work under the conditions we do.
Oh... & MAYBE TAKE TYLENOL 1 OUT OF SCHEDULE 2 & PROBLEM IS SOLVED (until the pubic finds out why they can't get it without an Rx ---like any sane doctor would give one --- whooo! I think I would be called worse names than when I don't release controlled medications early).
Sad that you see problems with your company system but not the system as a whole... maybe try watching the video again... now that 3 years have elapsed and I assume you have been fired as a pharmacy tech.
On PEI you have a limit on how much Tylenol with codeine you can buy every month. You have to show them your health card.
I have received medicine prescribed for a different person. I always look at my medicine to be certain I have the right one. I've also been given medication containing alcohol. I had deep ulcers and open sores in my mouth !
I took the medicine as ordered only to be in extreme pain. I called my Dr and told him I can't take the pain. He asked the name of the medication written. I have him the name and then he yelled "that's not what I ordered".
Another pharmacy I have seen an assistant taking the medication off the shelf and fill the bottle. THEN THE PHARMACIST TOOK THE CLOSEST ONE FILLED OUT OF A RACK, OPK
Pharmacist only LOOKED AT THE PILLS IN THE BOTTLE AND CLOSED THE LID. At no time did the pharmacist physically pick the drug off the shelf and go to the counter and take the drug and the prescription and compare that they were indeed, the same then fill the script and compare them again.
No. They have unlicensed people doing it!
SO.... WHY ARE THE MEDICINE SO FREAKIN EXPENSIVE IF THE PHARMACIST IS NOT THE ONE FILLING THEM! Got an answer for the inaccuracies which could result in severe or FATAL OUTCOMES ? WELL WALGREENS, YOU HAVE AN ANSWER ?
It is the doctor's responsibility too. The doctor should have the list of medicines she takes. This is ridiculous!
I think it's poor communication between doctors and pharmacists here in the United States. My son was prescribed a steroid prednisone for his asthma. Fortunately I checked when the pharmacy called the drug another name...It was an antidepressant dosage for an adult! My 11 year old is not depressed nor has he have a history. The pediatrician and pharmacist blamed each other. I only noticed when i heard the unusual name and used Google on my cell phone.
By law in AUS you have to warn them if you do not you could be fired. I my self had a opioid dependency not because I had no warnings oxycodone/endone was addictive they made sure I sold them I was on other anti-depressants. Since the system warns them what I was on but since I am a weekly visit to the Pharmacy for my methadone dosses.
But I also understand time and money so yea its both the workers and pharmacists are tired and have a target to hit.
Not a pharmacy error not to tell you about YOUR medication. That is YOUR responsibility to check up on that. Always trying to blame others for our laziness
Yes, the patient must take their own care in hand. However, there are lots of people who simply do not have the medical literacy, or even the basic ability to understand how to find the information about drug interactions. Or they may not read well, or comprehend well. And this should not put them at increased risk of medical mistakes. In fact, there are automated drug interaction calculators available now. The pharmacy has a totally integrated IT system designed to print specific coupons on your receipt based on your purchasing history, and to email you promotional offers frequently. Yet they cannot integrate an interaction calculator onto their system? I don't think so. They just don't want to spend the extra five minutes to talk to the patient. I have personally had experience where I was really, honestly, trying to get advice from the pharmacist about my drug situation and her manager came right over and cut us off, telling the pharmacist to get back to work. I was really put off, and switched pharmacies. Now, I use a mail order pharmacy, and I get ZERO counseling from them, but I no longer pretend that information or counseling is available at the pharmacy, no matter which pharmacy it may be.