TWO New Zealand pharmacists who accidently dispensed ten times the prescribed dose of a medication to a seven year old boy with cerebral palsy have been ordered to apologise to the child and his mother, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald.
The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) also recommended the pharmacists be assessed through the NZ College of Pharmacists and that the pharmacy they worked at conduct an audit of staff compliance with dispensing medication.
The product involved was baclofen, a widely used muscle relaxant and antispastic agent, resulting in three visits to the emergency department, the third visit triggering an investigation by the hospital pharmacist.
Both the dispensing and checking pharmacists were found to have "failed to provide the child with services in accordance with professional standards" the Commissioner said.
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