Negligent Pharmacy Employee Kills Young Girl

Too many Americans grossly underestimate the importance of accurate pharmacy point of sale systems and pharmacy technician training. Pharmacy errors can have devastating effects, and — in rare cases — may even result in unnecessary deaths. That is exactly what happened in an Ohio hospital in 2006. Who is Emily Jerry, and what steps can pharmacies take to prevent future tragedies?

Who is Emily Jerry, and What Happened to Her?

Emily Jerry is a toddler who, at just two years old, nearly survived cancer. Doctors diagnosed Emily with cancer at just one and a half years old. Six months later, her tumor — once the size of a grapefruit — was all but gone. Pleasantly shocked, healthcare professionals called for one more round of chemotherapy, just to make certain all of the cancer was out of the young girl’s system. Shortly after this final treatment, Emily died. What happened?

Experts attribute Emily’s death to two primary causes. First, a hospital system failed the night before, which may have affected pharmacy point of sale software and/or pharmacy inventory. Second, a pharmacy technician — for whatever reason — decided to prepare a custom chemotherapy bag for Emily. It contained 23.4% sodium chloride solution when it should have contained less than 1%! The man served several years in prison after Emily’s death.

Reliable Pharmacy Software and Strict Training Policies Save Lives

Years later Emily’s father, Chris Jerry, continues traveling the U.S., asking pharmacies to reconsider outdated software and insufficient training and registration practices. Jerry is pushing for all pharmacies to register pharmacy technicians — and require thorough training programs for all pharmacy employees. Moreover, Jerry believes that up-to-date point of sale systems and monitoring software can prevent future tragedies.

It is critical for all pharmacy employees and systems to responsibly distribute drugs and medications. Ensuring these things can save lives, and prevent untimely deaths — like Emily’s. Find more on this here: Pharmacy point of sale