For the primary time, California pharmacies should report each prescription error below laws signed by the governor Sunday.
The measure — Meeting Invoice 1286 — is geared toward lowering the estimated 5 million errors pharmacists make every year.
The Occasions detailed final month how Californians have been harmed by the errors, most of which occur in chain pharmacies akin to CVS and Walgreens. Pharmacists in these shops typically fill lots of of prescriptions throughout a shift, whereas additionally offering vaccinations, calling docs to verify prescriptions and dealing the money register.
In a survey of California licensed pharmacists in 2021, 91% of these working at chain pharmacies mentioned staffing wasn’t excessive sufficient to supply sufferers sufficient care.
The invoice, written by Assemblymember Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat, additionally offers pharmacists extra energy to extend staffing within the pharmacy after they consider the workload has turn into too heavy to maintain sufferers protected.
The invoice was opposed by the California Group Pharmacy Coalition, a lobbying group representing retail pharmacies, together with the large chains.
The chain pharmacies have mentioned that the errors are uncommon and that they’ve measures in place to maintain sufferers protected.
The state’s Board of Pharmacy sponsored the invoice. The board, which regulates pharmacies, mentioned it doesn’t know whether or not the variety of prescription errors has been growing or lowering as a result of pharmacies aren’t required to report them.
Below the invoice, the error reviews wouldn’t be made public. As a substitute, the pharmacies would ship them to a 3rd celebration, which would offer non-identifying data to the pharmacy board.
“Right now is a historic day for the California State Board of Pharmacy and California sufferers,” mentioned Seung Oh, president of the pharmacy board. “AB 1286 will set up the primary within the nation revolutionary affected person safety measures that can purpose to actually enhance affected person care.”
The Occasions discovered the errors have included circumstances during which pharmacists gave clients the improper drug, a dosage that was too excessive or low and dangerously incorrect directions for taking the remedy.
Some errors have been severe. As many as 9,000 Individuals die every year from prescription errors, in response to one research.
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