Addressing adverse events through clinical indicators

In an attempt to improve the reporting rate of adverse drug reactions the Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee approached the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Care Evaluation Program to develop a set of indicators to improve healthcare standards by heightening awareness amongst clinical staff of the morbidity, mortality and financial implications of adverse drug reactions. Ten clinical indicators addressing: (i) reporting of adverse drug reactions; (ii) adherence to treatment protocols for anaphylaxis; (iii) monitoring of warfarin; and (iv) monitoring of streptokinase, were field tested in ten Australian health-care organizations, to determine that the data were available, that the indicators were relevant to clinical practice and that the measures were achievable. Based on the results of this field test, six adverse drug reaction clinical indicators will be introduced into the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program from January 1999.