Wrongly bagged medication

[supharma]

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I work for cvs.Had a long shift.
I accidentally bagged medication of 2 different patients. Later patient brought them back and no one consumed wrong pill as issue solved within 15 minutes.But now I am super scared and doubt myself can I be the perfect pharmacist for patient. I felt really ashamed of my doings.I am too scared.Did anyone faced this situation before.

 

[Rukn]

sh1t happens

be careful

cvs is stupid to work for

 

[owlegrad]

Accidents happen. No one is perfect. Follow work flow and use the system the way it's designed and that could never happen. Try to use each mistake as a learning opportunity and hopefully never do that again.

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[farmadiazepine]

One medication into one bag with one label. You will never make a bagging error again at CVS following that rule.

Everything is so automated and robotic at CVS that if you follow their WeCare workflow and finally in the end put the one medication with the one label into one bag and staple it shut, you won't ever have a bagging error again. For some reason CVS emphasizes this whole one patient, one label, one medication, which is GREAT, but they fail at the last step, which is bagging the medication. That one patient, one label, one medication mentality should be followed all the way through the end up to bagging the one medication into one bag.

I never had a bagging error once I followed that rule. Before that, I had quite a few bagging errors. It happens. Anytime you put multiple medications into a bag, there is a chance for mixed up patients in the bag.

 

[mentos]

One medication into one bag with one label. You will never make a bagging error again at CVS following that rule.

Everything is so automated and robotic at CVS that if you follow their WeCare workflow and finally in the end put the one medication with the one label into one bag and staple it shut, you won't ever have a bagging error again. For some reason CVS emphasizes this whole one patient, one label, one medication, which is GREAT, but they fail at the last step, which is bagging the medication. That one patient, one label, one medication mentality should be followed all the way through the end up to bagging the one medication into one bag.

I never had a bagging error once I followed that rule. Before that, I had quite a few bagging errors. It happens. Anytime you put multiple medications into a bag, there is a chance for mixed up patients in the bag.

Some patients are on 20+ medications. Do you really bag all 20 separately? Every second counts...

 

[FarmD711]

When stapling labels together for the same bag I quickly double check the birthdate on each label to make sure they all match being attached to one bag. Haven't had a bagging error since doing this.


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[Dred Pirate]

Some patients are on 20+ medications. Do you really bag all 20 separately? Every second counts...

this would annoy the S*^T out of patients

 

[Rukn]

just become as robotic and machine like as possible

and keep organized

this would annoy the S*^T out of patients

not to mention finding all that sh1t

 

[Sine Cura]

The best thing to avoid this is not to bag each Rx individually, but finish what you start before moving onto the next thing, or else start over.

One thing OP should be concerned about is whether he/she filed a HIPAA violation report. If there was a complaint seen by a Rx sup and it wasn't filed, bad news.

 

[farmadiazepine]

Some patients are on 20+ medications. Do you really bag all 20 separately? Every second counts...

So, for the most part I worked overnight at CVS, so yes, I would do it for 20 prescriptions because I would never have all 20 labels together. They would all be divided up by where they came from the pharmacy (inhalers, birth control, drugs from ScriptPro, drugs from bay 1, 2, 3, etc).

When I worked day shifts, I would do it for mostly everyone as well, BUT, no, I wouldn't do it if someone had 20 prescriptions.

The whole point is I don't make it the norm to bag everything together for a patient. Bag separate.

But.. I haven't worked retail chain for almost 2 years now. I can't imagine how much more hectic it has become. I worked in an independent today, we did 50 prescriptions.

 

[Kelp103]

Not saying it isn't the pharmacist's responsibility, but why didn't your techs scan both labels and catch it at pick up? That would bother me too as another work flow issue. We have bagged 2 different patients together, but always catch it at pick up.
Unless you put two bottles into one bag with only one label?

 

[ldiot]

Everyone is going to make a mistake at one point. My best advise is to do one patient at a time and one task at a time, and most importantly do not have any medications or labels out of any baskets except for the patient that you are working on. I've never seen pharmacists intentionally bag things separately but if it has happened multiple times I think it's worth doing.

 

[tryingtomakeit]

Sometimes techs screw you by putting two patients with a similar name in the basket. Gotta stay sharp out there

 

[sosoo]

are they narcotics? i came across a PIC bagging narcotics for two patients incorrectly. i had to work for him for extra hour just so he can drive to both addresses and switch the narcotics. they were both narcotics that he mixed up. but u just move on like nothing happen. at CVS no one cares. if the lawyers come, cvs got you cover.

 

[supharma]

Thanks all.I'll be careful.

 

[supharma]

are they narcotics? i came across a PIC bagging narcotics for two patients incorrectly. i had to work for him for extra hour just so he can drive to both addresses and switch the narcotics. they were both narcotics that he mixed up. but u just move on like nothing happen. at CVS no one cares. if the lawyers come, cvs got you cover.

No they were antibiotics for one and Bupropion for other. Main issue is my PIC is behind the issue,Patients have no complaints.I helped them in so many incidences in fact they were so cool with it by saying take a break, my PIC is creating the problem.

 

[supharma]

are they narcotics? i came across a PIC bagging narcotics for two patients incorrectly. i had to work for him for extra hour just so he can drive to both addresses and switch the narcotics. they were both narcotics that he mixed up. but u just move on like nothing happen. at CVS no one cares. if the lawyers come, cvs got you cover.

No they were antibiotics for one and Bupropion for other. Main issue is my PIC is behind the issue,Patients have no complaints.I helped them in so many incidences in fact they were so cool with it by saying take a break, my PIC is creating the problem.

 

[sosoo]

the idiots that have no complaints also have no money. otherwise a lawsuit against cvs pharmacy will end up with them hundreds of thousands of dollars wealthier. if i were you, since the error was not yours, i would let the customers know to file a lawsuit. memorize all the adverse events and spit them out in court.

 

[HouTX]

the idiots that have no complaints also have no money. otherwise a lawsuit against cvs pharmacy will end up with them hundreds of thousands of dollars wealthier. if i were you, since the error was not yours, i would let the customers know to file a lawsuit. memorize all the adverse events and spit them out in court.

will u please be my partner?/s

people make mistakes. correct, document and move on.