Adverse drug reactions in hospital inpatients

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant public health problem. This thesis examined the incidence and nature of adverse drug reactions following admission to hospital. An initial pilot study was conducted to develop methodology, which was then utilised in a study of 3695 patients. Approximately 15% of patients experienced an ADR following admission, of which one-third were serious Commonly used drugs such as opioids, diuretics and anticoagulants were the most frequent causes of ADRs. Bleeding, renal impairment and Clostridium difficile were the ADRs with the greatest impact on patient length of stay and thus should be key areas for intervention strategies. Adoption of methods used in the assessment of hospital patient safety incidents such as root-cause analysis may help in identifying underlying factors leading to ADRs as well highlighting the importance of ADRs to senior hospital managers.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo