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Treatment, Not Error, Is Biggest Risk to Elderly
Marcia Frellick
September 17, 2015 The greatest threat to older patients' safety in primary care is the risk posed by treatment itself, not treatment error or negligence, according to an analysis of no-fault claims data from New Zealand.
These findings were published in the October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Katharine Ann Wallis, MBChB, PhD, MBHL, FRNZCGP, from the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, found that medication injuries were the main source (34%) of all treatment injuries among the elderly, and that within that category, antibiotics were, by far, the biggest culprit.
Of 294 medication injuries recorded in claims between 2005 and 2009 among patients aged 65 years and older, 150 of them (51%) were caused by antibiotics. Next highest among injury sources were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (9%) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (9%).
Antibiotics also topped the list for causes of serious or sentinel injuries for patients aged 65 years and older. Antibiotics caused 39% of such injuries in that age group, followed by warfarin (14%) and steroids (7%).
The serious/sentinel category was defined as having "the potential to result in" or "has resulted in" "unanticipated death or major permanent loss of function."
Most medication injuries overall were allergic and idiosyncratic reactions, without a suggestion of error (1295; 91% of medication injuries and 34% of all injuries), according to the study.
Global Implications ...
Marcia Frellick
September 17, 2015 The greatest threat to older patients' safety in primary care is the risk posed by treatment itself, not treatment error or negligence, according to an analysis of no-fault claims data from New Zealand.
These findings were published in the October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Katharine Ann Wallis, MBChB, PhD, MBHL, FRNZCGP, from the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, found that medication injuries were the main source (34%) of all treatment injuries among the elderly, and that within that category, antibiotics were, by far, the biggest culprit.
Of 294 medication injuries recorded in claims between 2005 and 2009 among patients aged 65 years and older, 150 of them (51%) were caused by antibiotics. Next highest among injury sources were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (9%) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (9%).
Antibiotics also topped the list for causes of serious or sentinel injuries for patients aged 65 years and older. Antibiotics caused 39% of such injuries in that age group, followed by warfarin (14%) and steroids (7%).
The serious/sentinel category was defined as having "the potential to result in" or "has resulted in" "unanticipated death or major permanent loss of function."
Most medication injuries overall were allergic and idiosyncratic reactions, without a suggestion of error (1295; 91% of medication injuries and 34% of all injuries), according to the study.
Global Implications ...