Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Assessing Specificity of Anticancer Drugs In Vitro
Published on: March 23, 2016
Unintentional medication discrepancies and postoperative adverse drug events in patients with cancer: A prospective
Atefeh Mehrabifar1, Elizabeth Manias2,3, Thomas Poulton4,5,6
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Aim:
To understand regular medication management processes in the postoperative period for patients having major cancer surgery, and to evaluate whether medication discrepancies were associated with postoperative adverse drug events (ADEs).
Method:
A prospective cohort of 500 adult patients, undergoing planned major cancer surgery at a Melbourne specialist cancer hospital, was followed from surgery to day 30 postoperatively. Regular medication discrepancies were assessed across transitions of care up to five days postoperatively and at discharge. Adverse drug events were monitored up to 30 days after surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of medication discrepancies and ADEs.
Results:
Among 7254 medication orders for 500 patients, 12.5% (n = 905) of orders resulted in unintentional medication discrepancies. Polypharmacy (OR = 1.32; 95%CI: 1.21-1.44; p < 0.001) and length of stay (OR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.03-1.12; p = 0.001) were significant predictors of unintentional medication discrepancies. ADEs occurred in 16.4% of patients (n = 82). In multivariable analysis, the odds of experiencing an ADE were significantly higher among patients who had unintentional discrepancies (vs. those with intentional discrepancies; OR = 3.06; 95%CI: 1.66-5.64; p < 0.001), older age (OR = 1.05; 95%CI: 1.02-1.08; p < 0.001), polypharmacy (OR = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.08-1.33; p < 0.001), higher acuity care admission (OR = 2.46; 95%CI: 1.33-4.54; p = 0.004) and prolonged hospital length of stay (OR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.02-1.12; p = 0.002). Cardiovascular and alimentary tract medications were most commonly implicated in both discrepancies and ADEs.
Conclusion:
Unintentional medication discrepancies are associated with postoperative ADEs in patients having cancer surgery. Targeted strategies-especially for older patients, those with polypharmacy, and extended hospital stays-are essential to enhance medication safety across perioperative transitions.
More Related Videos
06:46Competing-Risk Nomogram for Predicting Cancer-Specific Survival in Multiple Primary Colorectal Cancer Patients after Surgery
Published on: September 27, 2024
06:59A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
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...
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
Drug Accumulation During Multiple Dosing: Intermittent IV Infusions