When you go to the pharmacy with a valid prescription, you reasonably expect the pharmacist to provide you with the medication you need so that you can start feeling better. When this doesn’t happen, it can be incredibly frustrating. Whether it’s because of incompetence, negligence, or any other reason, the outcomes can be damaging or even life-threatening.
If you find yourself in this situation and have suffered because of a pharmacist’s choices, you should consider contacting a lawyer right away. At Morgan & Morgan, we can assist you with this. Our lawyers have decades of experience handling these types of situations. No matter where you’re located in the country, we can help. Contact Morgan & Morgan today to set up a free consultation.
What Is the Pharmacist’s Duty?
To understand what the pharmacist is required to do and when they could get in trouble for failing to fill a prescription, it’s important to understand the duties of a pharmacist. A key member of any health care system is the pharmacist. They often play a crucial role as part of the medical team. Their job goes beyond filling out prescriptions and dispensing pills.
They have specific responsibilities prescribed by the law, which may vary across state lines, but typical duties include the following:
- Giving a patient proper counsel on the possible side effects of the drugs the pharmacist will dispense
- Reviewing the patient’s other prescriptions and medical history
- Ensuring that there are no interactions between a patient’s current prescriptions and the medication about to be dispensed
- Reaching out to the health care provider of a patient if there are doubts regarding the new prescription
- Contacting the patient’s health care provider if the pharmacist believes the prescription could be doing more harm than good