Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
Methodologies for the detection of adverse drug reactions: comparison of hospital databases, chart review and
Ana Miguel1, Luís Filipe Azevedo, Fernando Lopes
1Centre for Research in Health Technologies and Information Systems-CINTESIS, Faculty of Medicine, Oporto University, Oporto, Portugal. myworld_ana@hotmail.com
Purpose:
To evaluate a methodology for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) detection through hospital databases.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was conducted to identify ADRs using diagnostic codes from databases, later validated by chart review. An independent chart review was performed for comparison, as well as assessment of spontaneous reports.
Results:
325 ADRs were identified (prevalence of 2.41%, positive predictive value of 87.6%). Independent chart review identified 9% of ADRs at a cost of 35 person-hours (versus two person-hours in databases). There were seven spontaneous reports of ADRs.
Conclusions:
Although not frequently used, the detection of ADRs through databases is a relatively less expensive, fast and effective methodology that can improve current pharmacovigilance systems.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Drug Analysis Methods
Measurement of Bioavailability: Pharmacodynamic Methods
Drug Toxicity: Overview
