Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitals: A Narrative Review

The serious nature of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) has been highlighted in a number of instances over the last forty years, the most recent of these being the occurrence of serious thrombotic events with the use of COX-2 inhibitors. ADRs are estimated to be between the 4th and 6th leading cause of death in the USA, with fatal ADRs occurring in 0.32% of patients. A recent UK study showed that 6.5% of hospital admissions were related to ADRs....