A New Study Suggests Some Medication Errors Affect Women and the Elderly at Higher Rates
Are close to types of medication errors more than likely to touch on detail patients, or are about patients at higher gamble of sustaining injuries from dangerous drug interactions than others? According to a recent report conducted past researchers at Indiana University, Bloomington, women in addition to elderly patients may be at greater risk of injury caused by unsafe drug interactions as a effect of prescription too medication errors than other groups. A press release discussing the written report explains, “women in addition to older adults who use multiple prescription drugs are significantly more than likely to be prescribed pills whose combination produces dangerous side effects.”
The report was published inward the periodical Digital Medicine. In the study, researchers concluded that at that place is a “threescore% increased run a risk for adverse drug reactions in women compared to men,” too “a ninety% increased gamble [of injury] inwards cases of medicines whose interaction is known to create unsafe reactions.” Elderly patients are likewise more than probable to sustain injuries than younger patients equally a result of drug interaction-related medication mistakes. As many equally 25% of patients aged 55 together with older accept had about type of unsafe drug interaction, and that pct goes up to more than than 33% for patients over the age of 70.
As Rocha explained, the researchers did expect to run into “some elevated run a risk inward the elderly since they function more medications,” only the risk was higher than they anticipated. Moreover, Rocha explained, “the gender bias was completely unexpected.” The drugs identified as function of harmful interactions were those that are quite unremarkably prescribed, such as omeprazole (a heartburn drug that many people know past the make mention Prilosec), fluoxetine (an antidepressant that many know past the make name Prozac), together with ibuprofen, a mutual over-the-counter painkiller.
Learning More About Medication Errors as well as Medical Mistakes
The IU report points out that some one out of every iii hospital visits, on average, results from “adverse drug effects,” which include harmful drug interactions. Physicians accept a duty to ensure that medications they prescribe will non interact dangerously alongside other drugs that a patient currently takes. The next are additional facts in addition to figures about drug management errors too prescription mistakes from The Patient Safety Network:
- Adverse drug events effort 700,000 emergency department visits together with 100,000 hospitalizations per twelvemonth;
- Adverse drug events are 1 of the well-nigh mutual types of inpatient errors, amongst near 5% of patients experiencing an adverse drug issue in the hospital;
- Transitions inward aid are likewise a source of harm related to adverse effects of medications;
- Antidiabetic agents similar insulin, oral anticoagulants similar warfarin, antiplatelet agents like aspirin as well as clopidogrel, together with opioid pain medications account for more than l% of adverse-drug events.
If yous or a loved 1 sustained injuries because of a medical mistake, y'all should speak with a medical malpractice attorney to determine your rights.
