Premium
Drug misuse and physician education
Author(s) -
Palmer Roger F.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt19691011
Subject(s) - polypharmacy , drug reaction , medicine , drug , adverse drug reaction , intensive care medicine , emergency medicine , pediatrics , psychiatry
There is little doubt that drugs, old and new, have reduced morbidity and mortality rates and continue to do so. It is dis‐concerting, however, to find that improper medication, polypharmacy, and adverse drug reactions are increasing to the point where drugs, either because of their pharmacologic effects, side reactions, or economic impact on the family unit, constitute what is approaching a national health problem. 2 In some reported series, adverse reactions occurred in 14 per cent of hospitalized patients and 7 per cent of these reactions were fatal or life‐threatening. 4 In 5 per cent of admissions to a general hospital, drug reactions were a major factor leading to hospitalization. 4