Using Information Technology to Improve the Monitoring of Outpatient Prescribing

摘要

Adverse drug events (ADEs) and medication non-adherence are common and reduce the potential benefit of medications. Adverse drug events, defined as poor health outcomes caused by medications, occur in up to 25% of ambulatory care patients prescribed a medication. Medication nonadherence, defined as patients not taking their medications as directed, can occur in 25% of new prescriptions. Improved monitoring and communication could reduce ADEs and nonadherence to minimize medication-associated problems.