Loose Pharmacy Regulations End In Tragic Deaths
Who is Emily Jerry, and how did a series of pharmacy errors end up unnecessarily costing the young girl her life? Too few Americans realize just how important pharmacy regulations and pharmacy point of sale systems can be — and one Ohio pharmacy learned that the hard way. How did an Ohio pharmacy kill a two year old girl?
Ohio Pharmacy Tech Dooms Young Girl To Die
What is Emily Jerry’s story? When Emily was just one and a half years old, doctors diagnosed her with a tumor in her abdomen. The tumor was huge — the size of a grapefruit, according to her father. Even so, after several rounds of chemotherapy, Emily showed remarkable improvement. In fact, her cancer was all but gone. Just days after, however, Emily died. How could this have happened?
Emily’s tragic death can be chalked up to two factors. First, a hospital pharmacy POS system failed the night before — possibly affecting the day’s counts and inventory. Secondly, a pharmacy technician prepared a chemotherapy bag by hand — and that bag contained more than 22 times more sodium chloride than necessary! The overdose of sodium chloride killed Emily. The pharmacy tech served several years in jail (and a few more on house arrest) for his part in Emily’s death.
Can Pharmacies Put An End To Unnecessary Deaths?
In short, the answer is yes. There are simple adjustments pharmacies can make to make certain tragic deaths — like Emily’s — never happen again. What are they? Emily’s father is currently campaigning all over the U.S., asking retail, outpatient, and hospital pharmacies to reconsider their regulations and institute mandatory registration for pharmacy technicians in all states. (At the time of Emily’s death, Ohio techs did not have to be registered.)
What are the dangers of outdate POS systems? Outdated software and lack of training and regulations can end in fatalities. Prevent unnecessary deaths in your pharmacy by using quality software and registering all employees, including technicians. Reference links: www.rm-solutions.com
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