• D Walsh, A Lavan, A-M Cushen, and D Williams.
• Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland, davidrwalsh@rcsi.ie.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2015 Jun 1; 184 (2): 441-7.

BackgroundA meta-analysis of 25 international studies suggests that 4.2-6.0% of medical admissions are the result of an adverse drug reaction (ADR). One Irish study has found that 8.8% of admissions to a university teaching hospital were attributable to ADRs.AimTo develop and evaluate a process to detect ADR-related medical admissions to a university teaching hospital in North Dublin.MethodsA screening process was developed to detect ADR-related admissions based on a previous Scottish study. Having evaluated the accuracy of the screening process in a large Dublin-based university teaching hospital, the same methodology was then applied to medical admissions occurring over a 9-day period.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of the screening process were 100 and 97%, respectively. The incidence of ADR-related hospitalization from 137 admissions was 5.1% (95% CI 1.4-8.8%). Of the ADRs, six were type A (predictable and preventable) and one was a type B (uncommon ADRs) reaction. Of the seven ADRs, two were considered to be unavoidable while five were potentially avoidable. High-risk medications namely anticoagulants, antiplatelets and antihypertensives were identified as causative medications.ConclusionsThis study outlines the feasibility of screening for ADR-related admission in the hospital setting. ADRs constitute an important and avoidable cause of hospital admission.

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