Unplanned Medication‐Related Admissions to an Acute Care General Teaching Hospital

Objectives: To determine the incidence and preventability of unplanned admissions to a State acute care general teaching hospital caused by adverse medication-related events (AMREs). Methods: A cohort study of consecutive unplanned admissions to the Repatriation General Hospital Daw Park over three weeks in April and May 1996. Medication details were obtained by patient interview, referral letters and review of medical notes. If an AMRE was suspected, all investigators met and collaboratively assessed whether an AMRE had occurred. Results: Of 172 unplanned admissions, 31 (18%) possibly involved an AMRE as a primary cause. Nearly one-third were considered potentially preventable. The most common events were adverse drug reactions (58%), patients receiving too much of the correct medication (16%) and patients not receiving the prescribed medication (16%). AMREs were assessed as the probable cause of hospitalisations in 29% of all cases, possible in 58% and unassessable in 13%. Cardiovascular and central nervous system medications were most commonly implicated. Conclusion: AMREs were significant contributors to hospitalisation in this study of an older than average population. (author abstract)