Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog
Earlier this month in New Jersey, a nurse who arrived at an employer’s office to provide influenza vaccinations to the employees made a “gross oversight” and reused the same syringe for all 70 vaccinations. According to one local news report, the nurse also failed to administer the proper dose of the vaccine to many of the people whom she was supposed to vaccinate.
Evidently, the nurse did change the needles between each patient but not the syringe. The health risk has been classified as “low,” but all employees who were given a vaccine were encouraged to get an HIV and Hepatitis test to make sure they did not contract either of the serious and potentially life-changing diseases.
Employees were also informed to get another flu vaccine, since the nurse improperly dosed each of the vaccines, reducing the vaccine’s effectiveness.
Vaccinations Given at Local Pharmacies
Vaccinations are generally seen as a measure patients can take to avoid getting the flu or another serious contagious illness. Most vaccinations are provided by doctor’s offices, pharmacies, or clinics throughout the State of Maryland. Or, as was the case above, an employer may bring in a nurse to provide all interested employees with a vaccination. While this vaccination error took place at a workplace, pharmacies across the country are starting to offer influenza vaccines on site as well. Of course, the majority of the nurses and pharmacies providing these vaccines will not give rise to any concern, but exceptions will occur.
The error described above seemingly exhibits a gross level of negligence on the part of the nurse administering the vaccinations. In fact, it is hard to imagine such an error could occur if the nurse was paying any attention at all to what she was doing. Hopefully, the employees will all get tested, and there will be no long-term effects of the nurse’s error. However, if any of the employees did contract any disease that can be transmitted by blood, the nurse may be held liable for her negligence in reusing the same syringe 70 times.
In general, if a patient goes to a pharmacy, or anywhere else, to obtain a vaccine, and something like the error described above does occur, that pharmacy may be held liable for any injuries, as well as the individual who administered the vaccine. To learn more about pharmacy errors and how to establish liability against a negligent pharmacist or nurse, contact a dedicated Maryland personal injury attorney.
Have You Been the Victim of a Pharmacist’s Mistake?
If you or a loved one has recently been the victim of a pharmacist mistake, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for any injuries you sustained as a result. Of course, not every potential error will result in pharmacist liability, and a plaintiff must be able to prove that they suffered some kind of harm before financial recovery is likely. To learn more, contact the Maryland-based personal injury law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. The skilled advocates at Lebowitz & Mzhen have the experience and dedication necessary to successfully bring any Maryland personal injury action. Call 410-654-3600 today to set up a free consultation.
More Blog Posts:
New Study Looks at Error Rates in Hospital Pharmacies, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, September 22, 2015.
Pharmacist Mistakenly Provides Chemotherapy Drug to Elderly Patient and Then Tries To Cover Up His Mistake, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, October 7, 2015.