USA Today Examines Confidentiality Agreements, Patient Counseling In Series On Medication Errors

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Also Included In: Medical Malpractice / Litigation
Article Date: 15 Feb 2008 - 11:00 PDT

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USA Today on Thursday featured two articles in a series on issues related to medication errors. Summaries appear below.

• "Many Lawsuits Against Pharmacies Settled in Silence": The article examined how many of the settlements of lawsuits filed against pharmacy chains Walgreen and CVS over alleged medication errors included confidentiality agreements. According to USA Today, confidentiality agreements allow pharmacy chains to avoid "bad publicity in a field where public trust is important" and "keep potentially damaging information from plaintiff lawyers." Barry Furrow, director of the health law concentration at the Drexel University College of Law, said that confidentiality agreements can conceal patterns of medication errors at pharmacy chains, although such information would benefit the public. In a statement, Walgreen officials said that the company considers "each case as unique and handle[s] it individually," and does not have a "strict policy" of confidentiality agreements. CVS said that the use of confidentiality agreements follows a "common practice for all businesses in commercial transactions and in litigation" (Brady/McCoy, USA Today, 2/14).
  
  
• "Talking to Patients Cited as Error Shield": The article examined how, although the elimination of medication errors remains "all but impossible," pharmacy experts "say pharmacist counseling of patients represents a key safeguard." In such counseling, pharmacists discuss with patients the purpose, dosage, directions and potential side effects of prescriptions. According to USA Today, medication errors, "when they occur, often become evident when a pharmacist talks directly to the person who will take the medication." Pharmacy experts are "less sure whether drug errors can be reduced by state pharmacy boards imposing tougher sanctions on pharmacists who make mistakes," and some "point to a broader safeguard: mandatory reporting of all major errors to state pharmacy boards," a practice currently required only in North Carolina, USA Today reports (McCoy/Brady, USA Today, 2/14).

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