PHARMACISTS from a Brisbane-based Chemist Warehouse (CWH) will not face disciplinary action in relation to a dispensing error.
The mistake saw a patient receive a double dose of his prescribed blood pressure medication following a triple bypass in a Webster-pak, the Courier Mail reported.
The patient reportedly discovered the pharmacists had dispensed an incorrectly packed Webster-pak after feeling light-headed, fatigued and unsteady.
The man reported multiple falls, including one incident where he fell into a gully and narrowly missed hitting a rock.
The patient complained about the error to the Office of the Health Ombudsman, with the matter being referred on to the Pharmacy Board of Australia, who judged that there was no need to take action against the two pharmacists who had dispensed the medication.
In its response to the complaint the Board noted that the senior pharmacist involved in the case had "shown insight into his performance", with the store taking steps to implement new packing processes, including requirements to document packing and have a second pharmacist conduct checks of Webster-paks prior to dispensing.
The patient described the Board's decision as "outrageous" and a "travesty".
"It only took a few days from making my complaint for Chemist Warehouse to order sweeping changes, 17 in total, in the way it dispenses and checks medications," he said.
"It took six months and a mountain of correspondence since Dec 2019 with the Office of Health Ombudsman, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman and Privacy Commissioner and the Pharmacy Board, for the board to give its final no-appeal decision".
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