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Frequency and characteristics of hospital admissions associated with drug‐related problems in paediatrics
Author(s) -
Easton Kylie L.,
Chapman Colin B.,
Brien Joanne E.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2003.02052.x
Subject(s) - medicine , confidence interval , pediatrics , multidisciplinary approach , emergency medicine , sociology , social science
Aim To determine the frequency of paediatric hospital admissions associated with drug‐related problems (DRPs) at two Australian hospitals. Methods The investigator and ward pharmacists prospectively screened eligible patients. A multidisciplinary panel reviewed data and established causality, preventability and clinical significance classifications. Results Over 22 weeks of data collection, a total of 11 564 patients were admitted, 2933 met eligibility criteria. Of those eligible, 127 [4.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6, 5.0] were judged to have hospital admissions associated with DRPs. Direct costs associated with DRPs identified totalled £100 707. Of the 81 cases assessed for preventability, 46.9% were deemed preventable. Conclusions This research has provided information on the nature and characteristics of paediatric DRPs associated with hospital admissions.