The number of hospital patients experiencing adverse reactions to medication has risen sharply, jumping 52 percent over the last five years, according to a study by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality reported in the New Haven Independent.
The agency tracked adverse medication reactions nationally from 2004-2008. The report found 1.9 million adverse reactions to medications during inpatient stays in 2008, in addition to 800,000 adverse reactions reported in emergency rooms. Adverse reactions could range from skin irritation to poisoning, according to the report.
The most problematic group of drugs in the study was corticosteroids, which were involved in 13.2 percent of adverse outcomes. According to the report, this level of prevalence could be associated with corticosteroids' wide use.
Read the New Haven Independent report on adverse drug reactions.
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The agency tracked adverse medication reactions nationally from 2004-2008. The report found 1.9 million adverse reactions to medications during inpatient stays in 2008, in addition to 800,000 adverse reactions reported in emergency rooms. Adverse reactions could range from skin irritation to poisoning, according to the report.
The most problematic group of drugs in the study was corticosteroids, which were involved in 13.2 percent of adverse outcomes. According to the report, this level of prevalence could be associated with corticosteroids' wide use.
Read the New Haven Independent report on adverse drug reactions.
Related Articles on Quality and Infection Control:
Newborn in Illinois Hospital Suffers Sodium Overdose Dies 6 Weeks Later
Experimental Vaccine Could Prevent Staph Infections in Renal Disease Patients
Infection Rates Decrease 6% in PA Hospitals
