Frequency, severity and risk factors for adverse drug reactions in adult out-patients: a prospective study

Central Nervous System Medications: Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Considerations for Older Adults

Most drugs have not been evaluated in the older population. Recognizing physiological alterations associated with changes in drug disposition and with the ultimate effect, especially in central nervous system-acting drugs, is fundamental. While considering pharmacokinetics, it should be noted that the absorption of most drugs from the gastrointestinal tract does not change in advanced age. There are only few data about the effect of age on the transdermal absorption of medications such as fentanyl. Absorption from an intramuscular injection may be similar in older adults as in younger patients. The distribution of lipophilic drugs (such as diazepam) is increased owing to a relative increase in the percentage of body fat, causing drug accumulation and prolonged drug elimination following cessation. Phase I drug biotransformation is variably decreased in aging, impacting elimination, and hepatic drug clearance has been shown to decrease in older individuals by 10-40% for most drugs studied. Lower doses of phenothiazines, butyrophenones, atypical antipsychotics, antidepressants (citalopram, mirtazapine, and tricyclic antidepressants), and benzodiazepines (such as diazepam) achieve the same extent of exposure. For renally cleared drugs with no prior metabolism (such as gabapentin), the glomerular filtration rate appropriately estimates drug clearance. Important pharmacodynamic changes in older adults include an increased sedative effect of benzodiazepines at a given drug exposure, and a higher sensitivity to mu opiate receptor agonists and to opioid adverse effects. Artificial intelligence, physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation, and concentration-effect modeling enabling a differentiation between the pharmacokinetic and the pharmacodynamic effects of aging might help to close some of the gaps in knowledge.

Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial to assess safety of teleconsultation compared with face-to-face consultation: the ECASeT study

BACKGROUND

The use of remote consultation modalities has exponentially grown in the past few years, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a huge body of the literature has described the use of phone (tele) and video consultations, very few of the studies correspond to randomized controlled trials, and none of them has assessed the safety of these consultation modalities as the primary objective. The primary objective of this trial was to assess the safety of remote consultations (both video and teleconsultation) in the follow-up of patients in the hospital setting.

METHODS

Multicenter, randomized controlled trial being conducted in four centers of an administrative healthcare area in Catalonia (North-East Spain). Participants will be screened from all individuals, irrespective of age and sex, who require follow-up in outpatient consultations of any of the departments involved in the study. Eligibility criteria have been established based on the local guidelines for screening patients for remote consultation. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of the two study arms: conventional face-to-face consultation (control) and remote consultation, either teleconsultation or video consultation (intervention). Routine follow-up visits will be scheduled at a frequency determined by the physician based on the diagnostic and therapy of the baseline disease (the one triggering enrollment). The primary outcome will be the number of adverse reactions and complications related to the baseline disease. Secondary outcomes will include non-scheduled visits and hospitalizations, as well as usability features of remote consultations. All data will either be recorded in an electronic clinical report form or retrieved from local electronic health records. Based on the complications and adverse reaction rates reported in the literature, we established a target sample size of 1068 participants per arm. Recruitment started in May 2022 and is expected to end in May 2024.

DISCUSSION

The scarcity of precedents on the assessment of remote consultation modalities using randomized controlled designs challenges making design decisions, including recruitment, selection criteria, and outcome definition, which are discussed in the manuscript.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT05094180. The items of the WHO checklist for trial registration are available in Additional file 1. Registered on 24 November 2021.

Emerging approaches to polypharmacy among older adults

Polypharmacy is a major health issue for older adults. Entangled with several geriatric syndromes, including frailty, falls and cognitive decline, research focused on polypharmacy has been challenged by heterogeneity in its definition, confounding by comorbidities and limited prospective data. In this Review, we discuss varying definitions for polypharmacy and highlight the need for a uniform definition for future studies. We critically appraise strategies for reducing medication prescriptions and implementing deprescribing as a mechanism to reduce the potential harmful effects of polypharmacy. As we look to the future, we assess the role of novel analytics and high-throughput technology, including multiomics profiling, to advance research in polypharmacy and the development of new strategies for risk stratification in the age of precision medicine.

Relation between anticholinergic burden and cognitive impairment: Results from the Monzino 80-plus population-based study

PURPOSE

We examined data collected in the Monzino 80-plus study to assess the relations between cognitive performance and ACB scores according to the hypothesis that a higher anticholinergic burden is associated with reduced cognitive performance.

METHODS

The Monzino 80-plus is an ongoing, prospective, door-to-door population-based study started in 2002 among all residents 80 years or older in eight municipalities of Varese province, Italy. To establish the relation between cognitive impairment and the anticholinergic drug burden we recorded the ACB score for each patient at baseline. The relations between ACB score and dementia or MMSE scores were also examined after exclusion of patients taking any antipsychotic.

RESULTS

A sample of 2140 elderly people was eligible for analysis. A significant dose-effect relationship was observed between total ACB score and diagnosis of dementia in univariate and multivariate models. Patients in ACB class ≥4 had about 4.5 times the risk of diagnosis of dementia. A relation was also found between higher ACB scores and lower MMSE scores; patients who scored 4 or more had a mean of 6.4 points lower than those not taking anticholinergic drugs. The dose-effect relationship between ACB score and diagnosis of dementia was not maintained after exclusion of patients using antipsychotics, while the association between higher ACB scores and lower MMSE scores was still present, with patients in ACB class ≥4 having a mean score about 4.4 lower.

CONCLUSIONS

There are clear relations between anticholinergic load and reduced cognitive performance, while the association with dementia remains uncertain. For primary care and geriatric clinicians, an ACB score ≥ 4 can be considered the cut-off to identify high-risk populations who may benefit from the evaluation of anticholinergic burden with the ACB scale.

Associations Between Potentially Inappropriate Medications and Adverse Health Outcomes in the Elderly: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Adverse drug outcomes in the elderly have led to the development of lists of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), such as the Beers criteria, and these PIMs have been studied widely; however, it is still unclear whether PIM use is predictive of adverse outcomes in older people. Objective: To qualitatively examine the associations between exposure to PIMs from the general Beers criteria and the Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions list and adverse outcomes, such as adverse drug reactions (ADRs)/adverse drug events (ADEs), hospitalization, and mortality. Methods: Specified databases were searched from inception to February 1, 2018. Two reviewers independently selected studies that met the inclusion criteria, assessed study quality, and extracted data. Data were pooled using Stata 12.0. The outcomes were ADRs/ADEs, hospitalization, and mortality. Results: A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. The combined analysis revealed a statistically significant association between ADRs/hospitalizations and PIMs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.33-1.56; OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.20-1.35), but no statistically significant association was found between mortality and PIMs (OR = 1.04; 95% CI = 0.75-1.45). It is interesting to note that the results changed when different continents/criteria were used for the analysis. Compared with the elderly individuals exposed to 1 PIM, the risk of adverse health outcomes was much higher for those who took ≥2 PIMs. Conclusion and Relevance: We recommend that clinicians avoid prescribing PIMs for older adults whenever feasible. In addition, the observed associations should be generalized to other countries with different PIM criteria with caution.

Using Electronic Health Records to Identify Adverse Drug Events in Ambulatory Care: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

We identified the methods used and determined the roles of electronic health records (EHRs) in detecting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs) in the ambulatory setting.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature review by searching PubMed and Google Scholar for studies on ADEs detected in the ambulatory setting involving any EHR use published before June 2017. We extracted study characteristics from included studies related to ADE detection methods for analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 30 studies that evaluated ADEs in an ambulatory setting with an EHR. In 27 studies, EHRs were used only as the data source for ADE identification. In two studies, the EHR was used as both a data source and to deliver decision support to providers during order entry. In one study, the EHR was a source of data and generated patient safety reports that researchers used in the process of identifying ADEs. Methods of identification included manual chart review by trained nurses, pharmacists, and/or physicians; prescription review; computer monitors; electronic triggers; International Classification of Diseases codes; natural language processing of clinical notes; and patient phone calls and surveys. Seven studies provided examples of search phrases, laboratory values, and rules used to identify ADEs.

CONCLUSION

The majority of studies examined used EHRs as sources of data for ADE detection. This retrospective approach is appropriate to measure incidence rates of ADEs but not adequate to detect preventable ADEs before patient harm occurs. New methods involving computer monitors and electronic triggers will enable researchers to catch preventable ADEs and take corrective action.

Ambulatory Computerized Prescribing and Preventable Adverse Drug Events

BACKGROUND

Adverse drug events (ADEs) represent a significant cause of injury in the ambulatory care setting. Computerized physician order entry reduces rates of serious medication errors that can lead to ADEs in the inpatient setting, but few studies have evaluated whether computerized prescribing in the ambulatory setting reduces preventable ADE rates in ambulatory care.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the rates of preventable ADEs before and after the implementation of computerized prescribing with basic clinical decision support for ordering medications.

DESIGN

Before-after study of ADE rates in practices implementing computer order entry.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult patients seeking care in primary care practices at academic medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts (n = 41,819), and Indianapolis, Indiana (n = 9128).

MAIN MEASURES

We attempted to standardize the medication-related decision support knowledge base provided at the 2 sites, although the electronic records and presentation layers used at the 2 sites differed. The primary outcome was preventable ADEs identified based on structured results or symptoms defined by extracting symptom concepts from provider notes; potential ADEs were a secondary outcome.

RESULTS

Computerized prescribing did not significantly change the rate of preventable ADEs at either site. Compared with Boston practices, the rate of potential ADEs was more than seven-fold greater at Indianapolis (6.4/10,000 patient-months vs. 49.5/10,000 patient-months, P < 0.001). Computerized prescribing was associated with a 56% decrease in the potential ADE rate at Indianapolis (49.5 to 21.9/10,000 patient-months, P < 0.001) but a 104% increase at Boston (6.4 to 13.0/10,000 patient-months, P < 0.001). Preventable ADEs that occurred after computerized prescribing was implemented were due to patient education issues, physicians ignoring feedback from CDSS, and incomplete computerized knowledge base was incomplete (34%, 33%, and 33% in Indianapolis and 44%, 28%, and 28% in Boston).

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of computerized prescribing in the ambulatory setting was not associated with any change in preventable ADEs but was associated with a decrease in potential ADEs at Indianapolis but an increase at Boston, although the absolute rate of ADEs was much lower in Boston.

Adverse Drug Events in Patients with Mental Disorder in an Ambulatory Setting

Background:

Although adverse drug events (ADEs) among inpatients occur frequently and are widely studied, few data are available on ADEs among outpatients with mental disorders.

Aims:

To determine the rates, types, and severity of ADEs in patients with mental disorder.

Materials and Methods:

Cross-sectional survey of patients with mental disorder attending outpatient department. Data were collected over a period of 6 months.

Results:

A total of 400 patients (217 schizophrenia patients, 127 bipolar affective disorder patients, and 56 patients of depression) with a mean age of 32.1 ± 9.7(±standard deviation) participated in the study. Patients suffering from schizophrenia and all nonadherent patients reported significantly more ADEs (P < 0.05). Out of 343 patients (86%) who reported at least one ADE, majority (87%) reported central nervous system ADEs followed by weight gain (48%), gastro-intestinal (28%), skin (4%), cardiovascular (1%), and sexual dysfunctions (0.3%). Out of 673 ADEs reported, sedation (41%) and weight gain (25%) were reported most commonly. Most ADEs reported (76%) were mild; however, there were no life-threatening, fatal, or serious ADEs. The medication classes most frequently involved in ADEs were antipsychotics (72%) followed by sedatives (44%), antimanic drugs (32%), and antidepressants (27%). Patients on atypical antipsychotic drugs reported significantly more body weight gain (P < 0.05). More than three drugs were prescribed in 49% of patients who reported ADEs.

Conclusion:

The study data indicate high prevalence of ADEs in the outpatients on psychotropic medications.

Beliefs of Community Pharmacists on Prevention and Correction of Potential Drug Therapy Problems

Objective:

To describe likelihood and affective evaluation ratings for salient beliefs of community pharmacists about trying to prevent and correct potential drug therapy problems, and to describe normative belief and motivation to comply ratings about trying to prevent and correct potential drug therapy problems.

Design:

Descriptive statistics from a self-administered mail survey.

Participants:

A convenience sample identified salient beliefs about trying to prevent and correct potential drug therapy problems, and a random sample of Michigan community pharmacists (n = 555) completed a self-administered mail survey regarding these beliefs.

Main Outcome Measures:

Likelihood and affective evaluation ratings of 22 salient beliefs and normative belief and motivation to comply ratings of six salient others.

Results:

Pharmacists believed that trying to prevent and correct drug therapy problems could lead to valuable consequences, regardless of whether the efforts were a success or a failure. The pharmacists also believed they could have a positive impact on the quality of drug therapy; however, they seemed less convinced that failure would lead to health complications in patients or unnecessary health expenditures. Pharmacists were most motivated to comply with the expectations of patients.

Conclusions:

Assisting community pharmacists in adopting pharmaceutical care can be accomplished by (1) providing programs where the process of trying to prevent and correct drug therapy problems can be experienced, (2) promoting an understanding of the relationships between drug product costs and healthcare costs due to patient morbidity, (3) devising mechanisms to increase patient demand for pharmaceutical care and drug utilization review, and (4) assisting community pharmacists to obtain reimbursement for time spent trying to prevent and correct drug therapy problems.

Pharmacist Review to Simplify Medication Regimens in a VAMC Primary Care Clinic

Objective:

To assess the effect of a clinical pharmacist's prospective medication review of patients receiving multiple drug therapy, using the pharmaceutical care process, as determined by the number of concurrent medications the patient is receiving before and after clinic visits.

Design:

Assigned groups.

Setting:

Outpatient primary care clinic of a tertiary healthcare Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility.

Patients:

Seven hundred twenty-seven patients who had eight or more active medication orders were selected. Four hundred forty-one patients (aged 67.2 ± 10.4 y) were in the intervention group; 286 others (aged 66.6 ± 11.9 y), whose medical records were not available, were assigned to the control group and received no clinical pharmacist intervention.

Intervention:

Medication regimens of VA ambulatory patients with eight or more active medications were reviewed by a clinical pharmacist, and a written communication to the prescriber was attached to the medical record.

Main Outcome Measures:

The number of active concurrent medications before and after clinic visits was measured.

Results:

There was a decrease in the medications in the intervention group from an average of 12.1 ±4 to 11.5 ± 4.2 (p < 0.05). The medications in the control group rose from an average of 11.8 ± 4.44 to 12.2 ± 4 (p = NS). A decrease of 0.6 prescriptions per patient was highly significant (p < 0.05). During the study, 1,336 recommendations were made to practitioners. From this group, 41% of the recommendations were accepted, and 477 medications were discontinued, the quantity dispensed or dosage was reduced, or an alternative medication was prescribed.

Conclusions:

These data suggest that clinical pharmacist intervention in an ambulatory care setting can affect practitioner prescribing habits and significantly decrease the number of medications prescribed.

Recognizing Hospital Adverse Drug Reactions

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a frequently overlooked complication of drug therapy. The categories of drugs most commonly implicated include anticoagulants, antimicrobials, cardiac agents, CNS agents, diagnostic agents, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, and hormones. In addition to knowing what drug classes most commonly produce ADRs, the clinician should also recognize what drugs are most frequently associated with specific ADRs. Anaphylaxis is one of the most serious, and potentially life-threatening, ADRs. Treatment of an anaphylactic reaction involves correcting the physiologic effects of released chemical mediators and also inhibiting the release of additional mediators. The mainstay of therapy is aqueous epinephrine. Severe reactions may require administration of aminophylline, inotropic agents, antihistamines, corticosteroids, and intravenous fluids. The best treatment for any ADR is prevention. Pharmacists can actively participate in the monitoring of risk factors, especially the number of drugs in a regimen, potential drug interactions, and drug allergies, which may predispose patients to ADR development. Pharmacists can also assist in the detection of ADRs by monitoring alerting orders. Other potential activities for pharmacists include providing timely and accurate information about ADRs ; educating patients, physicians, and other health care professionals; and influencing prescribing patterns to minimize the trend towards polypharmacy.

Health outcomes associated with polypharmacy in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To summarize evidence regarding the health outcomes associated with polypharmacy, defined as number of prescribed medications, in older community-dwelling persons.

DESIGN

Systematic review of MEDLINE (OvidSP 1946 to May, Week 3, 2014).

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANTS

Observational studies examining health outcomes according to number of prescription medications taken.

MEASUREMENTS

Association between number of medications and health outcomes. Because of the importance of comorbidity as a potential confounder of the relationship between polypharmacy and health outcomes, articles were assessed regarding the quality of their adjustment for confounding.

RESULTS

Of the 50 studies identified, the majority that were rated good in terms of their adjustment for comorbidity demonstrated relationships between polypharmacy and a range of outcomes, including falls, fall outcomes, fall risk factors, adverse drug events, hospitalization, mortality, and measures of function and cognition. However, a number of these studies failed to demonstrate associations, as did a substantial proportion of studies rated fair or poor.

CONCLUSION

Data are mixed regarding the relationship between polypharmacy, considered in terms of number of medications, and adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older persons. Because of the challenge of confounding, randomized controlled trials of medication discontinuation may provide more-definitive evidence regarding this relationship than observational studies can provide.

Anomaly Detection in Healthcare: Detecting Erroneous Treatment Plans in Time Series Radiotherapy Data

Adverse events in healthcare and medical errors result in thousands of accidental deaths and over one million excess injuries each year. Anomaly detection in medicine is an important task, especially in the area of radiation oncology where errors are very rare, but can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly. To avoid medical errors in radiation cancer treatment, careful attention needs to be made to ensure accurate implementation of the intended treatment plan. In this paper, we describe the work that resulted in a valuable predictive analytics tool for automatic detection of catastrophic errors in cancer radiotherapy, adding an important safeguard for patient safety. We designed a method for Dynamic Modeling and Prediction of Radiotherapy Treatment Deviations from Intended Plans (SmartTool) to automatically detect and highlight potential errors in a radiotherapy treatment plan, based on the data from several thousand prostate cancer treatments that were used to build the model. SmartTool determines if the treatment parameters are valid, against a previously built Predictive Model of a Medical Error (PMME). SmartTool communicates with a radiotherapy treatment management system, checking all the treatment parameters in the background prior to execution, and after the human expert QA is completed. Any anomalous treatment parameters are detected using an innovative intelligent algorithm in a completely automatic and unsupervised manner, and it flags the operator by highlighting the suspect parameter(s) for human intervention. Furthermore, the system is self-learning and constantly evolving, and the model is dynamically updated with the new treatment data.

Prevention of inappropriate prescribing in hospitalized older patients using a computerized prescription support system (INTERcheck(®))

BACKGROUND

Polypharmacy is very common among older adults and can lead to inappropriate prescribing, poor adherence to treatment, adverse drug events and the prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Electronic prescription database software may help to prevent inappropriate prescribing and minimize the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. INTERcheck(®) is a Computerized Prescription Support System (CPSS) developed in order to optimize drug prescription for elderly people with multimorbidity.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the applicability of INTERcheck(®) as a means of reviewing the pharmacological profiles of elderly patients hospitalized in an acute geriatric ward in Northern Italy; and (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of INTERcheck(®) in reducing potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), potentially severe DDIs and the anticholinergic burden in daily practice.

METHODS

Two samples of elderly patients (aged 65+ years) hospitalized in a geriatric ward in Italy were enrolled throughout 2012. During the first (observation) phase, medications prescribed to 74 patients at admission and discharge were analyzed with INTERCheck(®) without any kind of interference based on information obtained from the software. During the second (intervention) phase, the treatment of 60 patients was reviewed and changed at discharge according to INTERCheck(®) suggestions.

RESULTS

In the observational period, the number of patients exposed to at least one PIM remained unchanged on both admission (n = 29; 39.1 %) and discharge (n = 28; 37.8 %). In the intervention phase, 25 patients (41.7 %) were exposed to at least one PIM at admission and 7 (11.6 %) at discharge (p < 0.001). The number of patients exposed to at least one potentially severe DDI decreased from 27 (45.0 %) to 20 (33.3 %), although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.703), while the number of new-onset potentially severe DDIs decreased from 37 (59.0 %) to 9 (33.0 %) [p < 0.001].

CONCLUSIONS

The use of INTERCheck(®) was associated with a significant reduction in PIMs and new-onset potentially severe DDIs. CPSSs combining different prescribing quality measures should be considered as an important strategy for optimizing medication prescription for elderly patients.

Prevalence, nature and potential preventability of adverse drug events - a population-based medical record study of 4970 adults

AIMS

To estimate the 3 month prevalence of adverse drug events (ADEs), categories of ADEs and preventable ADEs, and the preventability of ADEs among adults in Sweden. Further, to identify drug classes and organ systems associated with ADEs and estimate their seriousness.

METHODS

A random sample of 5025 adults in a Swedish county council in 2008 was drawn from the Total Population Register. All their medical records in 29 inpatient care departments in three hospitals, 110 specialized outpatient clinics and 51 primary care units were reviewed retrospectively in a stepwise manner, and complemented with register data on dispensed drugs. ADEs, including adverse drug reactions (ADRs), sub-therapeutic effects of drug therapy (STEs), drug dependence and abuse, drug intoxications from overdose, and morbidities due to drug-related untreated indication, were detected during a 3 month study period, and assessed for preventability.

RESULTS

Among 4970 included individuals, the prevalence of ADEs was 12.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 11.1, 12.9%), and preventable ADEs 5.6% (95% CI 5.0, 6.2%). ADRs (6.9%; 95% CI 6.2, 7.6%) and STEs (6.4%; 95% CI 5.8, 7.1%) were more prevalent than the other ADEs. Of the ADEs, 38.8% (95% CI 35.8-41.9%) was preventable, varying by ADE category and seriousness. ADEs were frequently associated with nervous system and cardiovascular drugs, but the associated drugs and affected organs varied by ADE category.

CONCLUSIONS

The considerable burden of ADEs and preventable ADEs from commonly used drugs across care settings warrants large-scale efforts to redesign safer, higher quality healthcare systems. The heterogeneous nature of the ADE categories should be considered in research and clinical practice for preventing, detecting and mitigating ADEs.

Aligning medication reconciliation and secure messaging: qualitative study of primary care providers' perspectives

BACKGROUND

Virtual (non-face-to-face) medication reconciliation strategies may reduce adverse drug events (ADEs) among vulnerable ambulatory patients. Understanding provider perspectives on the use of technology for medication reconciliation can inform the design of patient-centered solutions to improve ambulatory medication safety.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to describe primary care providers' experiences of ambulatory medication reconciliation and secure messaging (secure email between patients and providers), and to elicit perceptions of a virtual medication reconciliation system using secure messaging (SM).

METHODS

This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. From January 2012 to May 2012, we conducted structured observations of primary care clinical activities and interviewed 15 primary care providers within a Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Boston, Massachusetts (USA). We carried out content analysis informed by the grounded theory.

RESULTS

Of the 15 participating providers, 12 were female and 11 saw 10 or fewer patients in a typical workday. Experiences and perceptions elicited from providers during in-depth interviews were organized into 12 overarching themes: 4 themes for experiences with medication reconciliation, 3 themes for perceptions on how to improve ambulatory medication reconciliation, and 5 themes for experiences with SM. Providers generally recognized medication reconciliation as a valuable component of primary care delivery and all agreed that medication reconciliation following hospital discharge is a key priority. Most providers favored delegating the responsibility for medication reconciliation to another member of the staff, such as a nurse or a pharmacist. The 4 themes related to ambulatory medication reconciliation were (1) the approach to complex patients, (2) the effectiveness of medication reconciliation in preventing ADEs, (3) challenges to completing medication reconciliation, and (4) medication reconciliation during transitions of care. Specifically, providers emphasized the importance of medication reconciliation at the post-hospital visit. Providers indicated that assistance from a caregiver (eg, a family member) for medication reconciliation was helpful for complex or elderly patients and that patients' social or cognitive factors often made medication reconciliation challenging. Regarding providers' use of SM, about half reported using SM frequently, but all felt that it improved their clinical workflow and nearly all providers were enthusiastic about a virtual medication reconciliation system, such as one using SM. All providers thought that such a system could reduce ADEs.

CONCLUSIONS

Although providers recognize the importance and value of ambulatory medication reconciliation, various factors make it difficult to execute this task effectively, particularly among complex or elderly patients and patients with complicated social circumstances. Many providers favor enlisting the support of pharmacists or nurses to perform medication reconciliation in the outpatient setting. In general, providers are enthusiastic about the prospect of using secure messaging for medication reconciliation, particularly during transitions of care, and believe a system of virtual medication reconciliation could reduce ADEs.

Elderly patients with inappropriate medication correlations with adverse drug events or unexpected illnesses in long-term care institutions

INTRODUCTION

The elderly are subject to natural aging and the health problems caused by the recession of physical and mental functions. Elderly patients are also more susceptible to adverse reactions of medication, drug interactions and other drug problems than the young. We then investigated patients with adverse drug events (ADEs) or unexpected illnesses transferred to our hospital during the whole year of 2010.

METHODS

We analyzed the medicine of elderly patients in long-term care institutions. Four long-term care institutions with different types and sizes located near Fong-Yuan Hospital in downtown Fong-Yuan were investigated. In this study, the researchers divided potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) into two categories: (a) those with or without the drug-drug interaction (DDI) and (b) those with narrow therapeutic index drugs. Variables were reclassified as inferential statistics for analysis by using the independent t-test or Mantel-Haenszel test.

RESULTS

The data for age, gender, presence or absence of dementia, brain damage and Parkinson's disease were divided into two groups for those patients with or without PIMs. There were no statistically significant differences among the groups. However, the numbers of chronic diseases for the group with PIMs were higher, and the numbers of drug items with PIMs were also higher. In addition, we investigated the presence or absence of PIMs for patients transferred to our hospital with ADEs and unexpected illnesses. The results showed no statistically significant differences among the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that elderly patients who had consultations with doctors and the hidden problems about medication were detected by pharmacists in the privileged hospital had no direct risk with DDI or narrow therapeutic index drugs. However, other potential drug risks remain to be further analyzed and more samples should be surveyed.

Prevalence and perceived preventability of self-reported adverse drug events--a population-based survey of 7099 adults

Purpose

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are common and often preventable among inpatients, but self-reported ADEs have not been investigated in a representative sample of the general public. The objectives of this study were to estimate the 1-month prevalence of self-reported ADEs among the adult general public, and the perceived preventability of 2 ADE categories: adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and sub-therapeutic effects (STEs).

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, a postal survey was sent in October 2010 to a random sample of 13 931 Swedish residents aged ≥18 years. Self-reported ADEs experienced during the past month included ADRs, STEs, drug dependence, drug intoxications and morbidity due to drug-related untreated indication. ADEs could be associated with prescription, non-prescription or herbal drugs. The respondents estimated whether ADRs and STEs could have been prevented. ADE prevalences in age groups (18–44, 45–64, or ≥65 years) were compared.

Results

Of 7099 respondents (response rate 51.0%), ADEs were reported by 19.4% (95% confidence interval, 18.5–20.3%), and the prevalence did not differ by age group (p>0.05). The prevalences of self-reported ADRs, STEs, and morbidities due to drug-related untreated indications were 7.8% (7.2–8.4%), 7.6% (7.0–8.2%) and 8.1% (7.5–8.7%), respectively. The prevalence of self-reported drug dependence was 2.2% (1.9–2.6%), and drug intoxications 0.2% (0.1–0.3%). The respondents considered 19.2% (14.8–23.6%) of ADRs and STEs preventable. Although reported drugs varied between ADE categories, most ADEs were attributable to commonly dispensed drugs. Drugs reported for all and preventable events were similar.

Conclusions

One-fifth of the adult general public across age groups reported ADEs during the past month, indicating a need for prevention strategies beyond hospitalised patients. For this, the underlying causes of ADEs should increasingly be investigated. The high burden of ADEs and preventable ADEs from widely used drugs across care settings supports redesigning a safer healthcare system to adequately tackle the problem.

Trends in antibiotic prescribing in adults in Dutch general practice

Background

Antibiotic consumption is associated with adverse drug events (ADE) and increasing antibiotic resistance. Detailed information of antibiotic prescribing in different age categories is scarce, but necessary to develop strategies for prudent antibiotic use. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic prescriptions of different antibiotic classes in general practice in relation to age.

Methodology

Retrospective study of 22 rural and urban general practices from the Dutch Registration Network Family Practices (RNH). Antibiotic prescribing data were extracted from the RNH database from 2000–2009. Trends over time in antibiotic prescriptions were assessed with multivariate logistic regression including interaction terms with age. Registered ADEs as a result of antibiotic prescriptions were also analyzed.

Principal Findings

In total 658,940 patients years were analyzed. In 11.5% (n = 75,796) of the patient years at least one antibiotic was prescribed. Antibiotic prescriptions increased for all age categories during 2000–2009, but the increase in elderly patients (>80 years) was most prominent. In 2000 9% of the patients >80 years was prescribed at least one antibiotic to 22% in 2009 (P<0.001). Elderly patients had more ADEs with antibiotics and co-medication was identified as the only independent determinant for ADEs.

Conclusion/Discussion

The rate of antibiotic prescribing for patients who made a visit to the GP is increasing in the Netherlands with the most evident increase in the elderly patients. This may lead to more ADEs, which might lead to higher consumption of health care and more antibiotic resistance.

Carbidopa/levodopa pharmacy errors in Parkinson's disease

Outpatient pharmacy errors are common, but little is known about their occurrence in Parkinson's disease (PD). We prospectively studied carbidopa/levodopa pharmacy errors in a cohort of PD outpatients. Over 1 year, pharmacy errors occurred in 8/73 (11%) subjects treated with this medication, producing adverse drug events (ADEs) in 7/8 (87.5%) and increased healthcare utilization in 6/8 (75%) cases. The most common errors were substitution of controlled-release for immediate-release carbidopa/levodopa 25/100 mg (5/8; 62.5%) or dispensation of the wrong carbidopa/levodopa dosage (2/8; 25%). All errors involved ongoing prescriptions, including three interpharmacy transfers. Three subjects (37.5%) questioned pharmacy staff about the change in appearance of the tablets, but the error was corrected in only 1/3 of these cases. Carbidopa/levodopa outpatient pharmacy errors are a common, preventable cause of morbidity and excessive healthcare utilization in PD. Education of healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacy staff is warranted to reduce these errors and associated ADEs.

Adverse drug events in the outpatient setting: an 11-year national analysis

PURPOSE

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a common complication of medical care resulting in high morbidity and medical expenditure. Population level estimates of outpatient ADEs are limited. Our objective was to provide national estimates and characterizations of outpatient ADEs and determine risk factors associated with these events.

METHODS

Data are from the National Center for Health Statistics which collects information on patient visits to outpatient clinics and emergency departments throughout the United States. We examined visits between 1995 and 2005 and measured the national annual estimates of and risk factors for outpatient ADEs requiring medical treatment.

RESULTS

The national annual number of ADE-related visits was 4 335,990 (95%CI: 4 326 872-4 345 108). Visits for ADEs to outpatient clinics increased over the study period from 9.0 to 17.0 per 1000 persons (p-value for trend < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, factors associated with ADE visits included patient age (OR: 2.13; 95%CI: 1.63-2.79 for 65 years and older), number of medications taken by patient (OR: 1.88; 95%CI: 1.58-2.25 for five medications or more), and female gender (OR: 1.51; 95%CI: 1.34-1.71). Overall, outpatient ADEs resulted in 107,468 (95%CI: 89 011-125 925) hospital admissions annually, with older patients at highest risk for hospitalization (p-value for trend < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Both patient age and polypharmacy use are risk factors for ADE-related healthcare visits, which have substantially increased in outpatient clinics between 1995 and 2005. The incidence of ADEs has particularly increased among patients 65 years and older with as many as 1 in 20 persons seeking medical care for an ADE.

Functional status and quality of life as main outcome measures of therapeutic efficacy in the elderly

Methods of research and clinical practice have been developed in young subjects and are now inadequate to solve the health problems of the older population. This is also the case for pharmacological research, which has routinely excluded elderly people, although they are major consumers of drugs. Reasons contributing to this exclusion are greater susceptibility to drug effects, difficulties in recruitment and higher drop-out rates. The necessity to make a separate evaluation of drugs in the elderly has been clearly demonstrated by recent studies. In this regard, the Food and Drug Administration published a guideline concerning the study of drugs likely to be used in aged patients. Since preservation and improvement of quality of life and functional autonomy are often more appropriate goals than reduction of mortality, evaluation of therapeutic benefits requires suitable instruments. Questionnaires for the assessment of quality of life are available, but few of them have been designed specifically for older people.

Risk of Constipation in Patients Prescribed Fentanyl Transdermal System or Oxycodone Hydrochloride Controlled-Release in a California Medicaid Population

OBJECTIVE

To compare the risk of developing constipation between patients prescribed fentanyl transdermal system or oxycodone hydrochloride (HCl) controlled-release.

DESIGN

California Medicaid (Medi-Cal) claims data.

SETTING

Medicaid beneficiaries in California.

PARTICIPANTS

Chronic pain patients who received a prescription for transdermal fentanyl or oxycodone controlled-release between October 1, 1997, and February 28, 2000, for at least three consecutive months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Constipation was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code (ICD-9-CM 564.0). The association between long-acting opioid use and constipation was determined by multivariate logistic regression after controlling for drug strength, short-acting opioid usage, and comorbidities. Odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and P values were reported.

RESULTS

A total of 2,095 patients were included in the regression analysis (transdermal fentanyl = 877; oxycodone controlled-release = 1,218). Seventy-five patients received a constipation diagnosis (transdermal fentanyl = 28; oxycodone controlled-release = 47). Approximately 40% of patients were at least 65 years of age. Overall, oxycodone controlled-release patients had a significantly greater risk of developing constipation compared with transdermal fentanyl patients (transdermal fentanyl: n = 877; oxycodone controlled-release: n=1,218; OR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1.33-4.89; P = 0.005). Among patients who were 65 years or older, oxycodone controlled-release patients were 7.33 times more likely to be constipated than transdermal fentanyl patients (transdermal fentanyl: n = 518; oxycodone controlled-release: n = 317; OR = 7.33; 95% CI = 1.98-27.13; P = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that patients prescribed transdermal fentanyl may have a significantly lower risk of developing constipation compared with oxycodone controlled-release, particularly in the elderly.

Diagnostic E-codes for commonly used, narrow therapeutic index medications poorly predict adverse drug events

OBJECTIVE

We sought to examine the validity of specific hospital discharge codes in identifying drug toxicity precipitating hospitalization, among elderly users of high-risk medications.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation assessing the diagnostic test characteristics of International Classification of Diseases-9 External-Cause-of-Injury codes (E-codes) compared with a reference standard of medical record review. This study was nested within a prospective cohort of elders using warfarin, digoxin, or phenytoin as identified in the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly benefit program.

RESULTS

We identified 4,803 subjects contributing 11,409 person-years of exposure to at least one of three drug groups. Subjects experienced 8,756 hospitalizations, of which 304 were deemed, by expert review, to be a result of an adverse event of warfarin, digoxin, or phenytoin. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPVs) and negative predictive values for drug-specific E-codes were warfarin--25.5%, 98.3%, 46.6%, and 95.7%; digoxin--84.0%, 99.1%, 56.8%, and 99.8%; and phenytoin--86.7%, 98.7%, 59.1%, and 99.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

E-codes for digoxin and phenytoin have a high sensitivity, but E-codes for all three medications have poor PPVs, a result that might produce misclassification in studies based solely on discharge coding. Investigators should confirm such rare events via medical record review.

Systematic review of the incidence and characteristics of preventable adverse drug events in ambulatory care

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incidence and describe characteristics of preventable adverse drug events (pADEs) in ambulatory care.

DATA SOURCES

Studies were searched in PubMed (1966-March 2007), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-December 2006), the Cochrane database of systematic reviews (1993-March 2007), EMBASE (1980-February 2007), and Web of Science (1945-March 2007). Key words included medication error, adverse drug reaction, iatrogenic disease, outpatient, ambulatory care, primary health care, general practice, patient admission, hospitalization, observational study, retrospective studies, health services research, and follow-up studies. Additional articles were found in the reference sections of retrieved articles.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

Peer-reviewed articles assessing pADEs in ambulatory care, with detailed descriptions/frequency distributions of (1) ADE/pADE incidence, (2) clinical outcomes, (3) associated drug groups, and/or (4) underlying medication errors were included. Study country, year and design, sample size, follow-up time, ADE/pADE identification method, proportion of ADEs/pADEs and ADEs/pADEs requiring hospital admission, and frequency distribution of adverse outcome, associated drug groups, or medication errors were extracted.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Twenty-nine studies met inclusion criteria: 14 were ambulatory-based and 15 were hospital-based. Seven studies enrolled only elderly patients. The median ADE incidence was 14.9 (range 4.0-91.3) per 1000 person-months, and the pADE incidence was 5.6 per 1000 person-months (1.1-10.1). The median ADE preventability rate was 21% (11-38%). The median incidence of ADEs requiring hospital admission was 0.45 (0.10-13.1) per 1000 person-months, and the median incidence of pADEs requiring hospital admission was 4.5 per 1000 person-months. Cardiovascular drugs, analgesics, and hypoglycemic agents together accounted for 86.5% of pADEs, and 77.2% of pADEs resulted in symptoms of the central nervous system, electrolyte/renal system, and gastrointestinal tract. Medication errors resulting in pADEs occurred in the prescribing and monitoring stages. The most frequent drug therapy problem and error of commission reported in ambulatory-based studies on pADEs was the use of inappropriate drugs (42.7%; 40.4-45%). For pADEs requiring hospital admission, the most frequent drug therapy problem and error of omission reported was inadequate monitoring (45.4%; range 22.2-69.8%). Failure to prescribe prophylaxis to patients taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or antiplatelet drugs frequently caused gastrointestinal toxicity, whereas lack of monitoring of diuretic, hypoglycemic, and anticoagulant use caused over- or under-diuresis, hyper- or hypoglycemia, and bleeding.

CONCLUSIONS

ADEs in ambulatory care are common, with many being preventable and many resulting in hospitalization. Quality improvement programs should target errors in prescribing and monitoring, especially for patients using cardiovascular, analgesic, and hypoglycemic agents.

Kindness Kills: The Negative Impact of Pain as the Fifth Vital Sign

BACKGROUND

The current emphasis on pain assessment as the fifth vital sign and the use of unscientific pain scales is causing serious injury and death from overmedication.

STUDY DESIGN

This premise was tested by reviewing the case reports of all trauma center site surveys performed by the authors for the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma verification program during 2 separate time periods: 1994 through 1998 and 2000 through 2004. A total of 2,907 and 2,282 reports summarized by one of the authors, plus a total of 53 and 50 other reviewers, respectively, were analyzed from the records of 120 and 94 trauma centers. Most patients were men (71% and 66%) and had sustained blunt injury (83% and 79%). Average age was 35 years for both periods, with a range of 3 weeks to 97 years and 3 days to 98 years, respectively. The most common injuries involved head (33% and 34%), chest (13% and 13%), abdominal (22% and 21%), orthopaedic (18% and 18%), or multiple (9% and 14%). There were 1,459 and 867 deaths, respectively; all had a multidisciplinary peer review.

RESULTS

Overmedication with sedatives/narcotics, during the two periods, clearly contributed to deaths in 13 and 32 patients and probably contributed to deaths in 5 and 14 patients, respectively. This occurred in 17 and 43 patients, respectively, after blunt injury and in 1 and 3 patients, respectively, after penetrating injury. Two clinical scenarios predominated, ie, overmedication in preparation for an imaging study and overmedication after discharge from ICU to the floor. The sequel of hypotension and compromised airway requiring intubation initiated a cascade of negative events that led to death. One patient in each period died as a result of prehospital overmedication.

CONCLUSIONS

The current assessment of pain by computer-stored pain scales is in a state of imbalance, with excessive emphasis on undermedication at the same time ignoring overmedication. This imbalance reflects pain-service attempts to comply with external accrediting agencies. This preventable cause of death and disability in trauma patients is also occurring in noninjured patients. Surgeons must correct this problem by insisting on a balanced assessment of overmedication versus undermedication.

Improving Medication Reconciliation in the Outpatient Setting

BACKGROUND

A systematic study into outpatient medication reconciliation was conducted to determine if a multifaceted intervention influencing providers and patients reduced discrepancies related to inadequate prescription medication reconciliation in an outpatient setting.

METHODS

A prospective trial was conducted on 104 primary care patients at the Mayo Clinic. Patients in Phase I received standard care. Patients in Phase II received the intervention reconciliation process, which consisted of (1) mailed letters before appointments to remind patients to bring medication bottles or updated medication lists to their visits, (2) verification, and (3) correction of the medication list in the electronic medical record by the patient, and academic detailing and weekly audit and feedback of performance.

RESULTS

Interventions resulted in a decrease in prescription medication errors from 88.9% of the visits in Phase 1 to 66% of the visits in Phase II (p = .005) and from 98.2% of the visits in Phase I to 84% of the visits in Phase II (p = .0134) when all medications were considered. The average number of discrepancies per patient decreased by more than 50% from 5.24 in Phase I to 2.46 in Phase II. The majority of discrepancies were minor.

DISCUSSION

A multifaceted intervention including various members of the health care provider team (and the patient) is crucial to enhancing medication reconciliation.

The quality of pharmacologic care for adults in the United States

BACKGROUND

Despite rising annual expenditures for prescription drugs, little systematic information is available concerning the quality of pharmacologic care for adults in the United States. We evaluated how frequently appropriate pharmacologic care is ordered in a national sample of U.S. residents.

METHODS

The RAND/UCLA Modified Delphi process was used to select quality-of-care indicators for adults across 30 chronic and acute conditions and preventive care. One hundred thirty-three pharmacologic quality-of-care indicators were identified. We interviewed a random sample of adults living in 12 metropolitan areas in the United States by telephone and received consent to obtain copies of their medical records for the most recent 2-year period. We abstracted patient medical records and evaluated 4 domains of the prescribing process that encompassed the entire pharmacologic care experience: appropriate medication prescribing (underuse), avoidance of inappropriate medications (overuse), medication monitoring, and medication education and documentation. A total of 3,457 participants were eligible for at least 1 quality indicator, and 10,739 eligible events were evaluated. We constructed aggregate scores and studied whether patient, insurance, and community factors impact quality.

RESULTS

Participants received 61.9% of recommended pharmacologic care overall (95% confidence interval 60.3-63.5%). Performance was lowest in education and documentation (46.2%); medication monitoring (54.7%) and underuse of appropriate medications (62.6%) performance were higher. Performance was best for avoiding inappropriate medications (83.5%). Patient race and health services utilization were associated with modest quality differences, while insurance status was not.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant deficits in the quality of pharmacologic care were seen for adults in the United States, with large shortfalls associated with underuse of appropriate medications. Strategies to measure and improve pharmacologic care quality ought to be considered, especially as we initiate a prescription drug benefit for seniors.

Adverse drug reactions in an elderly hospitalised population: inappropriate prescription is a leading cause

OBJECTIVE

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) represent a major public health problem in the aged. In order to better evaluate this problem in Brazil, this study was designed to assess the prevalence of ADRs in an elderly hospitalised population, identify the most common ADRs and the principal medications involved, evaluate the appropriateness of use of these drugs in elderly people and determine the risk factors implicated in the appearance of such ADRs.

METHODS

The study population was comprised of 186 elderly patients (> or =60 years of age) admitted to the internal medicine service of a teaching hospital. The patients were assessed by a single observer using an intensive drug surveillance method to identify and report ADRs. The degree of probability for each adverse reaction was determined using the Naranjo algorithm.

RESULTS

The mean (+/- SD) age of the patients studied was 73.6 +/- 9.1 years. Up to 115 patients (61.8%) of the study population presented at least one ADR. A total of 199 ADRs were found, at an average of 1.7 per patient. The ADRs appeared during hospitalisation in 46.2% of the study population, were present at the time of the admission but did not cause hospitalisation in 17.2% of patients, and were the cause of admission in 11.3% of patients. The most frequent ADR that caused hospitalisation was digitalis toxicity (22.7% of such ADRs). Hypokalaemia as a result of diuretics was the most prevalent ADR both during hospitalisation (11.8%) and at the time of admission without being the cause (12.1%). Captopril was the most frequently prescribed drug (138 prescriptions), and led to an ADR in 18.1% of patients who received the drug. Almost a quarter of the patients presenting an ADR were prescribed drugs considered inappropriate for the elderly. By means of a multiple logistic regression model, the following were considered to be significant risk factors for the appearance of ADRs: number of diagnoses (odds ratio [OR] 1.40; 95% CI 1.06, 1.86), number of drugs (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.01, 1.13) and use of drug that is inappropriate for the elderly (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.17, 4.59).

DISCUSSION

The main contribution of the present study was identification of use of drugs that are considered inappropriate for elderly populations as a major risk factor for presenting an ADR. This finding is useful for continuous education programmes, therapeutic committees and policy makers, because adverse effects complicate the course of diseases in aged patients, cause hospitalisation and/or require the prescription of additional drugs. In addition to contributing to a reduction in healthcare costs, continuous efforts to promote rational drug use could also benefit elderly patients by preventing some avoidable drug toxicity.

CONCLUSION

A significant prevalence of ADRs was found among hospitalised elderly people. The risk factors associated with ADRs in this population included use of drugs considered to be inappropriate for that population, number of previous diagnoses and number of administered drugs. More appropriate drug prescription could avoid part of this burden of disease by minimising preventable ADRs.

Laboratory monitoring of drugs at initiation of therapy in ambulatory care

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Product labeling and published guidelines reflect the importance of monitoring laboratory parameters for drugs with a risk of organ system toxicity or electrolyte imbalance. Limited information exists about adherence to laboratory monitoring recommendations. The objective of this study was to describe laboratory monitoring among ambulatory patients dispensed medications for which laboratory testing is recommended at therapy initiation.

DESIGN AND SUBJECTS

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients in 10 geographically distributed health maintenance organizations who were newly prescribed medications with recommended laboratory test monitoring. The main outcome measure was the proportion of initial drug dispensing without recommended baseline laboratory monitoring for 35 newly initiated drugs or drug classes.

RESULTS

One hundred seven thousand, seven hundred sixty-three of 279,354 (39%) initial drug dispensings occurred without recommended laboratory monitoring. Patients without monitoring were younger than patients who had monitoring (median 57 vs 61 years, P<.001). Thirty-two percent of dispensings where a serum creatinine was indicated did not have it evaluated (range across drugs, 12% to 61%); 39% did not have liver function testing (range 10% to 75%); 32% did not have hematologic monitoring (range 9% to 51%); and 34% did not have electrolyte monitoring (range 20% to 62%) (P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial opportunity exists to improve laboratory monitoring of drugs for which such monitoring is recommended. This study emphasizes the need for research to identify the clinical implications of not conducting recommended laboratory monitoring, existing barriers to monitoring, and methods to improve practice.

Use of the Beers criteria to predict adverse drug reactions among first-visit elderly outpatients

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the Beers criteria can predict adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in first-visit elderly outpatients.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Outpatient clinics of a tertiary care and academic medical center in southern Taiwan.

PATIENTS

Eight hundred eighty-two patients aged 65 years or older who were prescribed drugs at their first visit to either the medical center's outpatient internal medicine clinic or family medicine clinic between March 1, 2001, and July 31, 2001.

INTERVENTION

Telephone survey conducted 1 week after clinic visit.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Potentially inappropriate drugs were assessed by the updated Beers criteria. Adverse drug reactions were detected by telephone survey and evaluated by the Naranjo criteria 1 week after drug administration. Of the 550 respondents, 64 (11.6%) had potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed and 126 (22.9%) had ADRs. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed associations between ADRs and potentially inappropriate drug prescribing (relative risk [RR] 15.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.0-58.8), number of prescribed drugs (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5), history of ADRs (RR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.4), and noncompliance with prescribed drugs (RR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.7). In patients who had potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed, the number of prescribed drugs was not significantly associated with ADRs (RR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.1). In patients who did not have potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed, more prescribed drugs increased the risk of ADRs (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5).

CONCLUSION

A positive association exists between potentially inappropriate drug prescribing, as defined by the Beers criteria, and ADRs in first-visit elderly outpatients. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of ADRs if a patient takes more than five drugs, has a history of ADRs, or exhibits poor compliance with prescribed drugs.

Adverse drug events in emergency department population: a prospective Italian study

PURPOSE

There is little evidence concerning adverse drug events (ADEs) in outpatients and related hospital admissions. In Italy, only one investigation was conducted on this important health issue. We therefore carried out a study to determine ADE incidence and ADE-related hospital admissions among emergency department (ED) visits, and to identify the risk factors for serious ADE leading to ED visit.

METHODS

During the year 2000, we performed a prospective study in two observational periods of 10 days each in 22 Italian EDs. Demographic, clinical and pharmacological data about all patients admitted to ED were collected by trained and qualified monitors. Records related to ADE were analysed and validated by a specific scientific committee.

RESULTS

On 18,854 enrolled patients, 629 (3.3%) were affected by ADE. Among these, 244 (38.8% of ADE patients) reported a serious event. Patients with ADE, accounting for 4.3% (193 cases) of total hospitalisations, were significantly more likely to be hospitalised (30.7% vs. 23.7%; p<0.0001), females (57.2% vs. 46.3%; p<0.0001) and elders, compared with the total sample. Serious ADE resulted significantly associated with male gender and old age. NSAIDs (16.5% of total ADE visits) and antibiotics (12.9%) were the drugs mostly involved in ADE occurrence. ADE affected mostly skin (213 ADE visits) and gastrointestinal system (211).

CONCLUSION

Old age and male gender resulted risk factors involved in the development of serious ADE. The high ADE-related hospitalisation incidence highlights the need for prevention strategies targeted to reduce the impact of ADE in the general population.

Adverse drug reaction risk factors in older outpatients

BACKGROUND

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common in older (age >or=65 years) outpatients (prevalence, 5%-35%), but there is no consensus on factors that put these patients at high risk for ADRs. Identifying a uniform set of risk factors would be helpful to develop risk models for ADRs for older outpatients and to implement targeted interventions for those patients at high risk for ADRs.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify potential risk factors for ADRs in older outpatients through a survey of geriatric experts and to determine their prevalence.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted to find published articles on ADRs in older patients. Forty-four potential risk factors were identified through the literature search and 6 additional factors were suggested by the expert panel. Through a modified 2-round survey, based on the Delphi consensus method, of an expert panel of 5 physicians and 5 pharmacists, the probability that each of these 50 potential factors could contribute independently to placing an older outpatient at high risk for an ADR was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. After the survey responses were received, means and 95% Cls were calculated. Consensus was defined as a lower 95% confidence limit >or=4.0. Potential risk factors that reached consensus were then applied to a sample of older outpatients to determine their prevalence.

RESULTS

After 2 rounds, the expert panel reached consensus on 21 factors, including 12 medication-related factors and 9 patient characteristics. The most prevalent medication-related risk factors were opioid analgesics; warfarin; non-acetylsalicylic acid, non-cyclooxygenase-2 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; anticholinergics; and benzodiazepines. The most prevalent patient characteristics included polypharmacy, multiple chronic medical problems, prior ADR, and dementia.

CONCLUSIONS

An expert panel was able to reach a consensus on potential risk factors that increase the risk for ADRs in older outpatients. Many risk factors were common in a sample of older outpatients. Future research is needed to determine the predictive validity of these risk factors for ADRs in older outpatients.

Aging biology and geriatric clinical pharmacology

Population aging evokes doomsday economic and sociological prognostication, despite a minority of older people suffering significant dependency and the potential for advances in therapeutics of age-related disease and primary aging. Biological aging processes are linked mechanistically to altered drug handling, altered physiological reserve, and pharmacodynamic responses. Parenteral loading doses need only be adjusted for body weight as volumes of distribution are little changed, whereas oral loading doses in some cases may require reduction to account for age-related increases in bioavailability. Age-related reduction of hepatic blood flow and hepatocyte mass and primary aging changes in hepatic sinusoidal endothelium with effects on drug transfer and oxygen delivery reduce hepatic drug clearance. Primary renal aging is evident, although renal clearance reduction in older people is predominantly disease-related and is poorly estimated by standard methods. The geriatric dosing axiom, "start low and go slow" is based on pharmacokinetic considerations and concern for adverse drug reactions, not from clinical trial data. In the absence of generalizable dosage guidelines, individualization via effect titration is required. Altered pharmacodynamics are well documented in the cardiovascular system, with changes in the autonomic system, autacoid receptors, drug receptors, and endothelial function to modify baseline cardiovascular tone and responses to stimuli such as postural change and feeding. Adverse drug reactions and polypharmacy represent major linkages to avoidable morbidity and mortality. This, combined with a deficient therapeutic evidence base, suggests that extrapolation of risk-benefit ratios from younger adults to geriatric populations is not necessarily valid. Even so, therapeutic advances generally may convert healthy longevity from an asset of fortunate individuals into a general social benefit.

Detecting adverse events for patient safety research: a review of current methodologies

Promoting patient safety is a national priority. To evaluate interventions for reducing medical errors and adverse event, effective methods for detecting such events are required. This paper reviews the current methodologies for detection of adverse events and discusses their relative advantages and limitations. It also presents a cognitive framework for error monitoring and detection. While manual chart review has been considered the "gold-standard" for identifying adverse events in many patient safety studies, this methodology is expensive and imperfect. Investigators have developed or are currently evaluating, several electronic methods that can detect adverse events using coded data, free-text clinical narratives, or a combination of techniques. Advances in these systems will greatly facilitate our ability to monitor adverse events and promote patient safety research. But these systems will perform optimally only if we improve our understanding of the fundamental nature of errors and the ways in which the human mind can naturally, but erroneously, contribute to the problems that we observe.

Effects of geriatric evaluation and management on adverse drug reactions and suboptimal prescribing in the frail elderly

PURPOSE

To determine if inpatient or outpatient geriatric evaluation and management, as compared with usual care, reduces adverse drug reactions and suboptimal prescribing in frail elderly patients.

METHODS

The study employed a randomized 2 x 2 factorial controlled design. Subjects were patients in 11 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals who were > or =65 years old and met criteria for frailty (n = 834). Inpatient geriatric unit and outpatient geriatric clinic teams evaluated and managed patients according to published guidelines and VA standards. Patients were followed for 12 months. Blinded physician-pharmacist pairs rated adverse drug reactions for causality (using Naranjo's algorithm) and seriousness. Suboptimal prescribing measures included unnecessary and inappropriate drug use (Medication Appropriateness Index), inappropriate drug use (Beers criteria), and underuse.

RESULTS

For serious adverse drug reactions, there were no inpatient geriatric unit effects during the inpatient or outpatient follow-up periods. Outpatient geriatric clinic care resulted in a 35% reduction in the risk of a serious adverse drug reaction compared with usual care (adjusted relative risk = 0.65; 95% confidence interval: 0.45 to 0.93). Inpatient geriatric unit care reduced unnecessary and inappropriate drug use and underuse significantly during the inpatient period (P <0.05). Outpatient geriatric clinic care reduced the number of conditions with omitted drugs significantly during the outpatient period (P <0.05).

CONCLUSION

Compared with usual care, outpatient geriatric evaluation and management reduces serious adverse drug reactions, and inpatient and outpatient geriatric evaluation and management reduces suboptimal prescribing, in frail elderly patients.

Zolpidem prescribing and adverse drug reactions in hospitalized general medicine patients at a veterans affairs hospital

BACKGROUND

Zolpidem is prescribed for sleep disruption in hospitalized patients, but data on the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are based largely on outpatient studies. Thus, the incidence of ADRs in hospitalized patients may be much higher.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to describe prescribing patterns of zolpidem for hospitalized medical patients aged 50 years, the incidence of ADRs possibly and probably associated with its use, and the factors associated with central nervous system (CNS) ADRs.

METHODS

This case series was conducted in 4 general medicine wards at a Veterans Affairs hospital and was a consecutive sample of patients aged 50 years who were hospitalized between 1993 and 1997 and received zolpidem as a hypnotic during hospitalization, but had not received it in the previous 3 months. Chart review was conducted by 2 evaluators. Data extracted from the medical records included admission demographic characteristics, medications, comorbidities, and levels of function in performing basic and instrumental activities of daily living. The main outcome measure was ADRs possibly or probably related to zolpidem use. The association between zolpidem and the occurrence of CNS ADRs (eg, confusion, dizziness, daytime somnolence) was analyzed separately.

RESULTS

The review included 119 medical patients aged > or =50 years who had newly received zolpidem for sleep disruption during hospitalization. The median age of the population was 70 years; 86 (72.3%) patients were aged 65 years. The initial zolpidem dose was 5 mg in 42 patients (35.3%) and 10 mg in 77 patients (64.7%). Twenty-three patients had a respective 16 and 10 ADRs possibly and probably related to zolpidem use (19.3% incidence). Of a total of 26 ADRs, 21 (80.8%) were CNS ADRs, occurring with both zolpidem 5 mg (10.8% of users) and 10 mg (18.3% of users). On univariate analyses, the only factor significantly associated with a CNS ADR was functional impairment at baseline (P = 0.003). Zolpidem was discontinued in 38.8% of patients experiencing a CNS ADR CONCLUSIONS: In this case series in medical inpatients, there was a high frequency of ADRs, particularly CNS ADRs, associated with zolpidem use. Zolpidem should be used cautiously in the hospital setting.

Adverse drug events in ambulatory care

BACKGROUND

Adverse events related to drugs occur frequently among inpatients, and many of these events are preventable. However, few data are available on adverse drug events among outpatients. We conducted a study to determine the rates, types, severity, and preventability of such events among outpatients and to identify preventive strategies.

METHODS

We performed a prospective cohort study, including a survey of patients and a chart review, at four adult primary care practices in Boston (two hospital-based and two community-based), involving a total of 1202 outpatients who received at least one prescription during a four-week period. Prescriptions were computerized at two of the practices and handwritten at the other two.

RESULTS

Of the 661 patients who responded to the survey (response rate, 55 percent), 162 had adverse drug events (25 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 20 to 29 percent), with a total of 181 events (27 per 100 patients). Twenty-four of the events (13 percent) were serious, 51 (28 percent) were ameliorable, and 20 (11 percent) were preventable. Of the 51 ameliorable events, 32 (63 percent) were attributed to the physician's failure to respond to medication-related symptoms and 19 (37 percent) to the patient's failure to inform the physician of the symptoms. The medication classes most frequently involved in adverse drug events were selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (10 percent), beta-blockers (9 percent), angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (8 percent), and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents (8 percent). On multivariate analysis, only the number of medications taken was significantly associated with adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Adverse events related to drugs are common in primary care, and many are preventable or ameliorable. Monitoring for and acting on symptoms are important. Improving communication between outpatients and providers may help prevent adverse events related to drugs.

Effect of adverse drug reactions on length of stay in surgical intensive care units

OBJECTIVE

To determine the frequency of adverse drug reactions in surgical intensive care units and evaluate their effect on the length of stay.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study. Between May 1997 and December 1999, while the patients were staying in the surgical intensive care unit, data were gathered regarding suspected adverse drug reactions and on different variables related to the length of stay.

SETTING

Surgical intensive care units of our hospital.

PATIENTS

A total of 401 patients hospitalized in the surgical intensive care unit.

MAIN RESULTS

In 37 of the 401 patients seen (9.2%; 95% confidence interval, 6.6-12.5), 39 different adverse drug reactions were detected. The adverse drug reactions were most frequently caused by the following drugs: morphine hydrochloride (n = 13), meperidine hydrochloride (n = 9), and metamizole (n = 7). Five adverse drug reactions were severe, the suspected medication had to be discontinued in 14 cases, and new drugs were necessary to manage the adverse drug reaction in 28 cases. The crude estimation of the effect of adverse drug reactions performed on the length of stay with a bivariant regression model indicated that each adverse drug reaction was related to an increase of 3.39 days (95% confidence interval, 1.47-5.31) in the length of stay. This estimation was reduced to 2.31 days (95% confidence interval, 0.64-3.99) when considering other variables that might cause confusion for analysis, although it is still important.

CONCLUSIONS

Adverse drug reactions are a significant clinical and economic problem in surgical intensive care units.

A tiered approach is more cost effective than traditional pharmacist-based review for classifying computer-detected signals as adverse drug events

OBJECTIVE

To develop a cost-efficient method for identifying adverse drug events (ADEs) and medication errors (MEs) identified using outpatient electronic medical records within ambulatory settings.

DESIGN

Comparison of sensitivity and cost of "traditional" pharmacist based approach to identifying ADEs and MEs during a 4 month period with a tiered approach.

RESULTS

The proportion of computer generated signals analyzed identified as ADEs were similar using the two approaches while the number of MEs was nearly double with tiered reviews suggesting the same or better sensitivity. Traditional pharmacist review cost $68.70 US dollars to detect an ADE and tiered approach cost only $42.40.

CONCLUSION

Tiered review of ADEs and MEs by personnel with increasing clinical capability is more cost-efficient than pharmacist review.