Published on behalf of Under Pennsylvania and New Jersey law, hospitals can be held liable for their own actions and failures to act in a case of medical negligence. Even where a pharmacist commits the actual negligence which results in the injury, the hospital may bear liability.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey hospitals may be liable for any of the following kinds of pharmacy errors:
- dosage errors,
- strength of dosage errors,
- dosage form errors,
- incorrect/wrong medications, and
- contamination.
Hospital Pharmacy Error Statistics
Hospital pharmacy services are crucial to patient health and safety. Pharmacy errors result in patient injury and death, and many times, pharmacy errors go undetected.
According to a 2006 study, How many hospital pharmacy medication dispensing errors go undetected?, out of 140,755 hospital medication doses, 3.6% contained errors, of which only 79% were detected by the hospital pharmacist. Of the undetected errors, 23.5% were potential adverse drug events.
PA & NJ Hospital/ER Pharmacy Error Liability
Under Pennsylvania and New Jersey law, hospitals and ERs can be held liable for pharmacy errors. Liability is often based on the following kinds of hospital negligence:
- failure to manage the pharmacy practice,
- failure to have a proper/updated medication-use policy,
- failure to supervise medication procurement and inventory,
- failure to properly prepare, package, label or secure medications,
- failure to have a proper and secure medication delivery policy,
- failure to monitor medication use, and
- failure to train staff regarding hazardous drug administration.
For more information, contact our Pennsylvania & New Jersey hospital emergency room lawyers at 215.925.4451. Our lawyers are available for a free, no obligation legal consultation.
Related hospital/emergency room malpractice articles:
- Corporate Negligence Claims in a Pennsylvania Hospital Malpractice Lawsuit
- How to Prove Hospital & Emergency Room Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania
- Proving Emergency Room Mistake & Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania
The lawyers at Schwartz & Blackman handle hospital malpractice cases in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area:
- PA: Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, Allentown, Lehigh Valley, Norristown, Philadelphia
- NJ: Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Camden, Cherry Hill, New Jersey shore cities
*This website does not provide legal advice. Every case is unique and it is important to get a qualified, expert legal opinion prior to making any decisions about your case. See the full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
Published: August 10, 2012