Adverse Drug Events Cause Many Hospitalizations in Elders

Adverse drug events (ADEs) leading to emergency department (ED) visits or emergency hospitalizations are particularly common in older patients. The recent national focus on preventable rehospitalizations brings identifying and addressing high-risk medications to the healthcare forefront.

Investigators used 2007–2009 data from a nationally representative sample of 58 hospitals to estimate that nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations (1.5% of all emergency hospitalizations among elders) occurred annually due to medication injury in older patients (age, ≥65); they excluded cases of intentional self-harm, drug abuse, therapeutic failures, or drug withdrawal. Almost half (48%) of ADE-related hospitalizations among elders were in patients older …