Hospital liability for accuracy of pharmacist consultations

Abstract

Pharmacists regularly provide consultations to prescribers regarding the appropriateness of drugs, doses, dosage forms, and other aspects of drug therapy. These consultations may be provided by a pharmacist who functions primarily in a dispensing role and whose screening of drug orders results in the detection of potential problems with drug therapy. Consultations may also result from the proactive efforts of a pharmacist who functions as a collaborative drug therapy manager in a more formalized clinical setting. Questions may arise regarding the potential liability of consulting pharmacists who provide information that is alleged to be inaccurate or incomplete. The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled, in Springhill Hospitals v. Larrimore,1 that a pharmacist functioning in a dispensing role is not liable to a patient for harm caused by a physician’s order when the pharmacist has provided consultation to the physician regarding the order. However, the court left open the possibility that a pharmacist who provides consultation in a clinical setting, having voluntarily undertaken to provide clinical care, and with specific knowledge of a patient’s medical history, may be liable for harm to the patient caused by a physician’s order.