Improving medication safety

摘要

Adverse drug events1 are a major problem for patient safety. A systematic review estimated that 18 adverse drug events per 100 outpatients, including almost seven preventable events, occur yearly.2 Preventable adverse drug events are caused by errors such as inappropriate prescription, medication discrepancies, non-adherence, and failure to monitor for side-effects or disease control. More than 20 years of research into medication safety has shown the efficacy of several interventions, including computer provider order entry, electronic decision support, and some pharmacist interventions.3"5 However, progress in medication safety is insufficient, especially studies of the effect on hard patient outcomes, such as adverse drug events and health-care use. New interventions should be developed, and all interventions need to be rigorously tested so that we better understand how to successfully implement those alreadv oroven effective.