Dangerous pharmacy practices
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Metrics
Metrics are measurements of pharmacy work, like
"wait time"
AKA, is your pharmacist FAST rather than CAREFUL.
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Understaffing
Understaffing refers to the practice of intentionally lowering the amount of staff in a pharmacy to pad profits, despite all the risks and dangers it causes.
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Medical Errors
Medical Errors are the 3rd leading cause of DEATH in the US, just behind heart disease and cancer. Pharmacists are the last line of protection against prescription-related errors.
...explained at a glance
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Counseling
"Counseling" is the duty of pharmacists to properly educate patients about medication. It's often not done because of short staffing and lack of time. This is the last line of defense against error.
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Turnover
Technicians make extremely low wages in proportion to their skill and are not treated as valued team members. Most move to other industries, leaving pharmacies scrambling.
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"Wait times"
Companies encourage patients to "wait" in the store for their Rxs - in hopes they'll buy more items. In reality, it puts pressure on the pharmacist to check faster, rather than more thoroughly.
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Security
Pharmacies are designed to appear "inviting" to patients, without regard to safety provisions for pharmacy staff, who usually are forbidden to defend themselves in case of robbery.
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LABOR ABUSE
Companies take advantage of legal loop holes and the continuous nature of pharmacy work to force staff to work over 14 hours with no breaks. Not even to pee. Or eat. Or sit.
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opioids
Pharmacists are to use "professional judgment" in evaluating opioid therapy, but are given no time to complete ever-increasing scrutiny of therapies and are often threatened by both
authorities and patients.