The system we have has pushed them beyond the breaking point. If the white-coated pharmacist who fills your prescription looks harried, it's no wonder. The conditions at many pharmacies are akin to sweat shops, analysts say. Pharmacists are being asked to handle 30 prescriptions an hour. That's two minutes to fill a prescription, counsel the patient, and check for potential drug interactions.
Pharmacists are under incredible pressure to crank out prescriptions.
It's no wonder mistakes are being made. Part of the burden comes from soaring demand for prescription drugs. In 1989, Americans bought 1.5 billion prescriptions at drugstores. Today that number has more than doubled to over 3 billion, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Meanwhile, the paperwork involved in filling each prescription has become more complicated.