Advances in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

Abstract

Impact of Clinical Pharmacist Intervention on Decreasing Incidence of Preventable Adverse Drug Events after Hospital Discharge

Osama H Mohamed Ibrahim

Drug Related Problems (DRP) including therapeutic failure and ô��¢dverse ô��¥rug ô��¦vents (ADEs) are vital patient safety issues [1]. They are particularly frequent after hospitalization [2], when multiple changes to patients’ medication regimens may be associated with poor patient education, no follow-up, and interruption of care [3-5]. These factors commonly result in inappropriate medication prescribing, discrepancies between prescribed and actual regimens, reduced adherence, and insufficient observation for adverse effects [6-9]. These problems may cause preventable ADEs and amplified health care utilization. An estimated 12% to 17% of general medicine patients experience ADEs after hospital discharge, more than half of them judged preventable or ameliorable (i.e. duration or severity could have been decreased) [10-12], up to 12% of ADEs result in Emergency Department (ED) visits and 5% in readmissions. A preventable ADE was defined as an undesired reaction to medication, which may have been prevented by appropriate drug selection or management [13].