Frequency and characteristics of hospital admissions associated with drug-related problems in paediatrics
Kylie L Easton1, Colin B Chapman, Jo-anne E Brien
1Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Building A15, NSW, Australia 2006. keaston@kps.org.au
Aim:
To determine the frequency of paediatric hospital admissions associated with drug-related problems (DRPs) at two Australian hospitals.
Methods:
The investigator and ward pharmacists prospectively screened eligible patients. A multidisciplinary panel reviewed data and established causality, preventability and clinical significance classifications.
Results:
Over 22 weeks of data collection, a total of 11,564 patients were admitted, 2933 met eligibility criteria. Of those eligible, 127 [4.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6, 5.0] were judged to have hospital admissions associated with DRPs. Direct costs associated with DRPs identified totalled pounds 100,707. Of the 81 cases assessed for preventability, 46.9% were deemed preventable.
Conclusions:
This research has provided information on the nature and characteristics of paediatric DRPs associated with hospital admissions.
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