ADVERSE DRUG REACTION AVOIDANCE AND MEDICAL COMPLIANCE

Course overview

Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to: 1.Recognize factors associated with increased risk for occurrence of adverse drug events 2.List means to minimize the occurrence of adverse drug events 3.Relate factors predisposing patients to medication noncompliance 4.Report methods for improving patient medication compliance Adverse Drug Reactions Overview Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or events (ADEs) are defined by the World Health Organization as "a response to a drug that is noxious and unintended and occurs at doses normally used for man for prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy of disease, or for the modification of physiologic function."[1] The concept of ADRs is intended to include all responses that place patients at risk or expose them to harm. Serious ADEs are defined by the US Food and Drug Administration as events caused by a drug which result in a patient's death, hospitalization, or disability, or cause a congenital abnormality, a life-threatening event, or require an intervention to prevent permanent damage. ADRs are common, contribute to significant morbidity and healthcare costs, and carry the single greatest risk for harm to patients in hospitals.[2] It has been estimated that, each year, over 770,000 people in the United States who are hospitalized suffer ADRs, which costs major hospitals up to $5.6 million per year.[