When a patient receives a prescription they suspect is incorrect—whether it is the wrong drug, dosage, or a drug they are allergic to—the primary response must be immediate and focused on safety. Medication errors are manageable events that can be addressed effectively through defined steps. A “wrong” prescription may involve a prescribing error from the doctor (e.g., confusing drug names like Celebrex versus Cerebyx) or a dispensing error from the pharmacy (e.g., incorrect strength or instructions). Understanding the type of error helps determine the correct course of action, but patient well-being takes precedence.
Prioritizing Patient Safety and Immediate Action
The first step when suspecting a medication error is to stop taking the medication immediately. Discontinuing the drug prevents further exposure to an incorrect substance or dosage. This cessation is necessary until the prescription can be fully verified and corrected by a healthcare professional.
The patient must quickly assess their health status for any adverse effects. Symptoms like difficulty breathing, chest pain, a widespread skin rash, or a severe drop in blood pressure require emergency medical attention. In such severe cases, call an emergency number or poison control immediately instead of waiting to contact the prescribing physician.
Monitor and document any reactions experienced, noting the time of onset and severity. This documentation provides valuable clinical information for medical professionals treating the reaction or correcting the prescription. Preserving the medication and its original packaging, including the label, is also recommended, as this evidence is necessary for investigation or correction.
Verifying the Prescription Discrepancy
Once immediate safety concerns are addressed, the next step involves confirming the nature of the error before reaching out to the prescriber. Patients should compare the dispensing label (which lists the drug name, strength, and dosage instructions) against the information received from the doctor. This comparison includes reviewing personal notes, discharge instructions, or the electronic patient portal record.
Contact the dispensing pharmacist for clarification. Pharmacists are trained to review prescriptions for accuracy, checking for correct dosage, strength, and potential drug interactions. They often intercept prescribing errors, such as a wrong dose or frequency, before the medication is dispensed.
The pharmacist can quickly determine if the discrepancy arose during the transcription or dispensing process, or if the error originated with the prescriber. Their review identifies issues like a mix-up between similar drug names (look-alike, sound-alike drugs) or an incorrect interpretation of the doctor’s order. Working with the pharmacist first can streamline the correction process and sometimes resolve the issue without contacting the physician’s office.
Communicating and Correcting the Error
After verifying the error, the patient must contact the prescribing physician’s office to initiate the correction process. This communication is typically handled through the doctor’s nurse line or via a secure message on the patient portal. When communicating the issue, adopting a clear, fact-based, and non-confrontational tone ensures a swift resolution.
The patient should focus on stating the facts of the discrepancy, such as, “I was expecting to receive drug Y, but the bottle contains drug X at a dose of Z milligrams.” This approach aids the physician in quickly identifying where the error occurred in the prescribing process. Physicians are encouraged to apologize for errors and to focus on the plan for correction.
The physician must authorize a new, corrected prescription and send it to the patient’s pharmacy. The patient should confirm with the physician’s office that the corrected order has been sent and verify with the pharmacy that they have received the new authorization. In some cases, the pharmacy may have to reverse the claim for the incorrect medication before processing the corrected one, which can affect insurance coverage.
Formal Reporting and Documentation
If the medication error resulted in significant harm, or if the healthcare provider is uncooperative, formal reporting and thorough documentation become necessary. Document every detail of the incident, including the names of all personnel spoken to, specific drug names, dosages, and the dates and times of every communication. Maintaining a detailed timeline ensures an accurate record of events for any future investigation.
Patients can voluntarily report adverse events and medication errors to regulatory bodies. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) operates the MedWatch program, a system for the public and healthcare professionals to report serious problems with medical products. This reporting helps the FDA monitor product safety and identify trends that may require regulatory action.
For errors involving the prescriber’s conduct, patients may contact the state medical licensing board, which oversees physician professional practice. These formal reporting steps are separate from immediate medical care and are typically pursued after the initial safety and correction steps have been completed, especially if the error caused a serious outcome requiring hospitalization or long-term disability.