Trends in Malpractice Payments and Adverse Actions against Pharmacists in the United States between 1990-2022
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: We evaluated malpractice payments and adverse actions against pharmacists in the United States. Malpractice is defined as professional negligence by act or omission. Adverse actions are actions administered by the board of registration in a health profession against a provider. The purpose of the study is to analyze the trends in malpractice payments and adverse actions for pharmacists during the period 1990-2022.
Methods: This is a retrospective study that utilizes the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) data analysis tool for the period 1990-2022. This information was exported to a data visualization tool and trends were studied. Results: During the period of the study there were 2480 malpractice payments and 44,204 adverse action reports made against pharmacists. In the current study we found that there has been a 19.56% decline in the number of malpractice payments against pharmacists in the last 5 years from 46 in 2018 to 37 in 2022. Similarly, adverse action reports also show a downward trend from 2016 to 2022. Conclusion: Pharmacy profession implements multiple processes to protect patients from medication errors. As the volume of prescriptions increases in the US, there is an increased risk of error and subsequent litigation against pharmacists. Even though malpractice payments and adverse actions against pharmacists have continued to decline, the probability of an adverse action remains high for practicing pharmacists. As the role of pharmacist continues to evolve there is a need to keep up with the changes in the healthcare market.
Article Details
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
2. Kehrer JP, Eberhart G, Wing M, Horon K. Pharmacy's role in a modern health continuum. Can Pharm J (Ott). 2013 Nov;146(6):321-4. doi: 10.1177/1715163513506370. PMID: 24228046; PMCID: PMC3819958.
3. Tariq RA, Vashisht R, Sinha A, et al. Medication Dispensing Errors and Prevention. [Updated 2023 Feb 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Drugs: Working to Reduce Medication Errors Accessed April 23, 2023 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/working-reduce-medication-errors
5. Wittich CM, Burkle CM, Lanier WL. Medication errors: an overview for clinicians. Mayo Clin Proc. 2014 Aug;89(8):1116-25.
6. Chamberlain, Michael. "My Pharmacy Has Given Me Too Much Medication, Why and How to Fix It." www.prescriptionhope.com, 22 May 2019, prescriptionhope.com/my-pharmacy-has-given-me-too-much-medication-why-and-how-to-fix-it/.
7. Whittaker CF, Miklich MA, Patel RS, Fink JC. Medication Safety Principles and Practice in CKD. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018 Nov 07;13(11):1738-1746.
8. Holliday, J. (n.d.). Can a Pharmacist Be Liable for Pharmacy Mistakes? www.helpinginjuredpeople.com.
https://www.helpinginjuredpeople.com/legal-blog/can-pharmacist-liable-pharmacy-mistakes/
9. Institute for Safe Medication Practices website. Accessed 5/29/23 and available at https://ismpcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/ISMPCSB2017-05-Tryptophan.pdf
10. Powell, M. (n.d.). Pharmacy Error (When Pharmacist Gives Wrong Medication). Www.Mattlaw.com.https://mattlaw.com/pharmacy-error-wrong-medication/
11. Herges JR, Herges LB, Dierkhising RA, Mara KC, Davis AZ, Angstman KB. Effect of Postdismissal Pharmacist Visits for Patients Using High-Risk Medications. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes. 2018;2(1):4–9. Published 2018 Feb 1. doi:10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2017.12.004
12. Pharmacists’ Impact on Patient Safety. American Pharmacists Association website. https://pharmacist.com/Portals/0/PDFS/Practice/PharmacistsImpactonPatientSafety_Web.pdf?ver=dYeAzwlN3-PG9eSkMMsV-A%3D%3D
13. US Department of Health and Human Services website. National Practitioner Data Bank - Research & Data - Data Analysis Tool. Accessed April 23,2023 https://www.npdb.hrsa.gov/analysistool/
14. Population Reference Bureau website. Accessed 5/29/23 and available at https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/
15. Statistica website. Accessed 5/29/23 and available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/241494/median-age-of-the-us-population/
16. US Censue Bureau website. Accessed 5/29/23 and available at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/AGE775221#AGE775221
17. Kantor ED, Rehm CD, Haas JS, Chan AT, Giovannucci EL. Trends in Prescription Drug Use Among Adults in the United States From 1999-2012. JAMA. 2015 Nov 3;314(17):1818-31. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.13766. PMID: 26529160; PMCID: PMC4752169.
18. Prescription drug statistics
https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/prescription-drug-statistics/#:~:text=How%20many%20prescription%20drugs%20are,4%20billion%20 prescriptions%20are%20 dispensed.
19. National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Warn. 2016. [Accessed January 19, 2020]. Available at: https://www.nacds.org/pdfs/membership/duty_to_warn.pdf.
20. Caselaw access project Harvard Law School Accessed April 25,2023 https://cite.case.law/nc-app/139/637/?highlight=Brooks+v.+Wal-Mart+Stores%2C+Inc.%2C+139+N.C.+App.+637+%282000%29%0A++++%0A++++++++Aug.+29%2C+2000%0A++++++++%C2%B7%0A++++++++Nort
21. North Carolina Court of Appeals. Brooks v Wal-Mart Stores Inc. No COA 99-430. 2000 Aug 29;
22. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Accessed April 23,2023 https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291051.htm
23. Pharmacies in the United States Accessed April 13,2023 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacies_in_the_United_States
24. Pharmacists scope of practice: Prescription adaptation Accessed April 20, 2023 https://scopeofpracticepolicy.org/practitioners/pharmacists/sop/prescription-adaptation/
25. Rhee D, Nalliah RP. Pharmacist Malpractice Over the Last Decade in the United States. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Community Medicine. 2017;3(4):207-14.