IL pharmacists set to strike
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
July 12, 2005
Walgreens pharmacists in Illinois and northern Indiana are set to strike Wednesday night over what they consider unsafe practices that place patients in jeopardy of medication errors, according to the Chicago Tribune.Pharmacists at the retailer say they sometimes fill upwards of 300 to 400 prescriptions a day. That leaves little time to follow proper procedures, like checking for drug interactions, patient history, patient consultation, answering questions and other critical functions.
A Walgreens spokesperson told the Tribune that most pharmacies fill about 280 prescriptions a day, so the union's estimates for individual pharmacists were off the mark. He also said the company never pressured pharmacists to increase output, a claim the union contests.
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