MEDICATIONS: ADVERSE DRUG EVENTS ARE COMMON IN SOME HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN

January 15, 2003 — Both adverse drug events (ADEs) — injuries resulting from medications or the lack of an intended medication — and potential ADEs (errors with the potential to result in injury) are common in children who are critically ill and are exposed to multiple medications in the hospital, according to a study in the January issue of The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

Mark T. Holdsworth, Pharm.D., of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and colleagues reviewed medical records and interviewed staff members at a pediatric unit and a pediatric intensive care unit at a major metropolitan medical center to determine the rates and causes of ADEs and potential ADEs in hospitalized children.

The researchers studied 1,197 consecutive patient admissions from September 15, 2000 to May 10, 2001 representing 922 patients and 10,164 patient days. According to background information in the article, ADEs contribute to deaths and morbidity in hospitalized patients, but almost all investigations into ADEs to date have been on adult patients.

The researchers identified 76 ADEs (6 per 100 admissions) and 94 potential ADEs (8 per 100 admissions) among the hospitalized children they studied. Factors associated with the occurrence of ADEs or potential ADEs were length of the hospital stay and amount of exposure to medications. After the researchers adjusted for length of stay, medication exposure continued to have a significant influence on ADEs and potential ADEs.

For ADEs, 18 (24 percent) were judged to be serious or life threatening, but most ADEs were not associated with major or permanent disability. Patients who experienced ADEs or potential ADEs were less likely to be routinely discharged and more likely to be discharged with home health care or to another institution.

The researchers write, "This study demonstrates that ADEs and potential ADEs are common in hospitalized children. In particular, children with more complicated medical conditions requiring a greater number of medications and a longer hospital stay were at greater risk for these events."

"An ADE may be a consequence of disease severity among hospitalized patients, rather than a significant factor that directly contributes to patient morbidity," conclude the authors.

Автоматический перевод на русский язык

Читать другие статьи на эту тему