Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by LEACH, S.
Right arrow Articles by ROY, S. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by LEACH, S.
Right arrow Articles by ROY, S. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1986 Oxford University Press

research-article

ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS: AN INVESTIGATION ON AN ACUTE GERIATRIC WARD

S. LEACH, Senior Registrar in Geriatric Medicine* and S. S. ROY, Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine

Barnsley District General Hospital Gawber Road, Barnsley

* Address for correspondence: Mount Vernon Hospital, Mount Vernon Road, Barnsley S70 4DP.

A total of 521 patients consecutively admitted to an acute geriatric unit were kept under surveillance by one observer during their stay. All drugs given to them and the occurrence of adverse events were recorded.

One hundred and seventeen adverse drug reactions occurred in 94 patients representing 18.8% of the 500 patients receiving drugs. Thirteen of these reactions were considered severe. Each patient received an average of 6.1 drugs, not necessarily simultaneously. Altogether 212 different drug preparations were used. Diamorphine and insulin had the highest adverse reaction rates, diamorphine having the highest risk of a severe adverse reaction. Antibiotics and diuretics caused the most adverse reactions, and were by far the most commonly prescribed drugs (26.5% of the sample). Of the patients receiving eight or more drugs, 41% suffered an adverse drug reaction.

accepted in revised form March 6, 1986.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BMJHome page
M. Pirmohamed, S. James, S. Meakin, C. Green, A. K Scott, T. J Walley, K. Farrar, B K. Park, and A. M Breckenridge
Adverse drug reactions as cause of admission to hospital: prospective analysis of 18 820 patients
BMJ, July 3, 2004; 329(7456): 15 - 19.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.