Prescribed drugs: A major cause of ill health

Harm caused by ill-effects of prescribed drugs is largely unrecognised, but when looked for has been found to be an important cause of ill health. Perhaps 6 % of all hospital admissions and some 800 deaths a year are caused by prescribed medication in Australia. The elderly, especially those in institutions, are particularly prone to injury by drugs. Attempts to use visiting pharmacists to influence the prescribing habits of doctors have resulted in unspectacular success. It is suggested that prescribing habits may more effectively be changed by visiting from specially trained practising doctors. An overview of the problem Drug injury is still largely a hidden problem – hard to detect, grossly under-reported, and frequently impossible to verify (Medawar 1992, p 1). Four billion dollars a year are spent on drugs in Australia, 11 % of the total health budget (Hynes & Goss 1997, p 14). Harm caused by this mass of prescribed medication is greatly underestimated by those who prescribe it. Because such harm may be completely unrecognised and, when recognised, is usuall