9-Dec-09 11:00 AM CST

Actor Dennis Quaid Supports Pharmacy Tech Initiative

Actor Dennis Quaid, who recently created his own family foundation to raise awareness of the dangers of medical error, announced his support of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Pharmacy Technician Initiative on Tuesday.

The Pharmacy Technician Initiative advocates that every state pass a law requiring pharmacy technicians to pass a pharmacy technician training program and be PTCB certified as prerequisites for state board registration. ASHP hopes the Initiative will improve patient safety and quality of care and build a stronger, more reputable workforce of well-trained pharmacy technicians.

Quaid became involved in improving patient safety following an incident in 2007 that nearly took the lives of his newborn twins. Quaid and his wife took the newborns to Ceders-Sinai Medical Center, where they were supposed to be given antibiotics intravenously to treat a staph infection. The twins were instead given an overdose of the blood thinner Heparin, which nearly caused them to bleed out.

Officials traced the cause of the accident to a pharmacy technician and the nurse in charge of caring for the twins. The pharmacy technician mistakenly put larger-dose bottles of Heparin in the same bin as smaller-dose bottles. The nurse then pulled a larger-dose Heparin bottle from the bin without checking the label.

Following the incident, Quaid found that similar errors happen across the United States, often with fatal consequences. In fact, according to The Quaid Foundation mission statement, every year in the United States, more people die from medical mistakes than from breast cancer, AIDS and car accidents combined.

“A very similar incident killed three infants in Indianapolis a year before that (in 2006),” Quaid said on a TV interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show. “Even after our incident, two other fraternal twins in Texas, in Corpus Christi, died last year because of this.”

Quaid is scheduled to appear as a keynote speaker at ASHP’s Midyear Clinical Meeting on December 12 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. The Quaid Foundation joins 17 states that have already announced their support and involvement with the Pharmacy Technician Initiative. In addition to setting standards for pharmacy technician licensure, The Quaid Foundation also hopes to improve systems such as barcode medication administration and drug labeling.

Quaid called the incident that nearly took his twins’ lives a sobering experience, and he does not blame the healthcare workers involved in the accident.

“Individually, nurses, doctors and pharmacists are good people,” he said, “but they’re hamstrung by working in a broken system.”

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Comments:

Total Comments: 2

Louis S. on 17-Mar-10 2:24 PM permalink
I have recent graduate of State University@Buffalo Shool of Pharmacology's Pharmacy Technician Program and will attain accredidation throgh NYPT specializing in Compounding Sterile/Non-Sterile along with Aseptic and I have the fear as the necessity and especially the popularity of my chosen field of work rises that we will attract more people with the misconception that Being a Pharmacy Technician is some how Akin to standing behind a counter asking
Sherry on 11-Dec-09 10:08 AM permalink
I agree completely that all Pharmacy Technicians should be certified and have a ASHP certificate on file. I have seen too many places hire cashiers or other store workers to become Techs, and have seen a mistake or 2. If the healthcare worker and the Tech would follow all rulesand made accountable for any mistakes it would be a safer place for all involved. As A Tech I think not only should the Pharmacist be held accountable but also theTech making the mistake.