Twenty-three legal cases from the 1980s were studied. The allegation in each of these cases was that the defendant pharmacist should have done something more than correctly process a prescription to prevent harm to the patient from drug use. Four theoretical models of pharmacist legal responsibility are considered: (1) the policy-analysis model, (2) the professional-standards model, (3) the consumer-expectation model, and (4) the power model. It is concluded that the power model, based on superior knowledge and reasonable foreseeability of harm, best defines the pharmacist's legal responsibility, consistent with established legal precedents.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
See, Kirk v. Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, 483 N.E.2d 906 (Ill. App. 1985), rev'd on other grounds, 513 N.E.2d 387 (Ill. 1987).
2.
453 N.Y.S.2d 121 (App. Div. 1982).
3.
Mahaffey v. Sandoz, No. C-20275, Dist Ct. Sedgwick County, Kan. (May, 1974).
4.
Tonneson v. Paul B. Elder Co., No. 286258, Super. Ct. Santa Clara County, Cal. (Mar. 8, 1974).
5.
Kaiser v. Fred Meyer, Inc., No. 79-054275, King County Ct., Wash. (Jan., 1982).
6.
SalisburyR. The pharmacist's duty to warn the patient of side effects of drugs. J Am Pharm Assn1977; 17: 97–100.
7.
FinkJL. The legal duty to consult with patients. J Contin Educ Pharm1977; 1: 65–6.
8.
453 N.Y.S.2d at 123.
9.
Id.
10.
Id.
11.
See, Jones v. Irvin, 602 F.Supp. 399, 402 (S.D. Ill. 1985).
12.
Ingram v. Hook's Drugs, Inc., 476N.E.2d 881, 886 (Ind.Ct.App. 1985).
McLeod v. W.S. Merrell Co., 174 So.2d 736 (Fla. 1965).
19.
457 So. 2d at 552.
20.
Adkins v. Mong, 425 N.W.2d 151, 153 (Mich.App. 1988).
21.
508 A.2d 1247 (Pa.Super. 1986).
22.
508 A.2d at 1253.
23.
Id.
24.
508 A.2d at 1253, 1254.
25.
Forish v. Paul, No. 5453-A-1982, Slip op. at 4 (Common Pleas Erie County, Pa. Feb. 13, 1989).
26.
374 S.E.2d 43S (N.C.App. 1988).
27.
Batiste v. American Home Products Corp., 231 S.E.2d 269 (N.C.App. 1977).
28.
374 S.E.2d at 439.
29.
782 P.2d 1045 (Wash. 1989).
30.
782 P.2d at 1048.
31.
Id. at 1051.
32.
Id. at 1054.
33.
Id. at 1053.
34.
Id. at 1063.
35.
WAC 360-16-265 (1989).
36.
782 P.2d 1052 f.n. 7.
37.
770 P.2d 182 (Wash. 1969).
38.
782 P.2d at 1051.
39.
Precourt v. Frederick, 481 N.E.2d 1144 (Mass. 1985).
40.
518 N.E.2d 758 (Ill. App. 1988).
41.
Id. at 762.
42.
Kirk v. Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, 513 N.E.2d 381 (Ill. 1987).
43.
425 N.W.2d 151 (Mich.App. 1988).
44.
425 N.W.2d at 153.
45.
464 F.2d 772 (D.C.Cir. 1972).
46.
Id. at 786.
47.
506 A.2d 1247, 1253 (1986).
48.
782P.2d 1045, 1057 (1989).
49.
National prescription buyers survey. Kalamazoo, MI: Market Facts, Inc. (Upjohn Co.), 1983: 21–7.
50.
JoyceGHubbardCW. Consumer patronage for pharmaceutical services: A comparative analysis of upper income households in urban areas. J Pharm Market Manage1988; 3 (1): 3–17.
