A trend of concern has been reported within pharmaceuticals and healthcare, in the form of a rise in adverse drug reactions. This trend stems from a data review conducted at the University of Liverpool, U.K. Here, the research team has identified an increasing trend in medicine-related harm leading to hospital admission.
The primary trend relates to multiple long-term health conditions (multimorbidity), such as living with two or more chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. The trend demonstrates that multimorbidity is associated with the use of many medicines simultaneously (polypharmacy). Typically, this a patient taking five or more medicines each day.
The trend relates to a review of the medical notes of 1,187 medical admissions across a one-month period in 2019 for a hospital trust based in the UK.
The research connects to an earlier study, undertaken in 2004. Here the Pirmohamed review found 6.5 percent of hospital admissions were associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
The new study shows this has elevated to 16.5 percent of admissions being caused by, or complicated by, an adverse reaction to a medicine.
One of the reasons for the trend, the researchers speculate, is due to overprescribing, where patients are given medicines that they do not need. A recent UK National Health Service (NHS) report on overprescribing determined that 10 percent of prescriptions (approximately 110 million) should not have been issued.
The researchers argue that societal, systemic and cultural factors contribute to overprescribing. The impact upon the health service is not only with an increase in patient admissions; the costs associated run to around £2 billion per year $3 billion).
Dr Lauren Walker, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Liverpool who was involved in the study states: “It is important for patients to report any adverse drug reactions to the MHRA via the yellow card system. It is important for patients to discuss any side effects with their healthcare professional, and they should not stop medicines of their own accord.”
Correcting overprescribing requires a multi-layered approach, including education for doctors. This should include the use of benefit-risk balance considerations. Other potential measures include the use of alternative digital technologies, a culture change, a more critical appraisal of repeat prescribing, and the transfer of care.
The research appears in the British Medical Journal, and it is titled “Adverse drug reactions, multimorbidity and polypharmacy: a prospective analysis of 1 month of medical admissions.”
