Skip Navigation
American College of Physicians Logo
  • Subscribe
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Sign In
    Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
    INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
    Sign In|Set Up Account
    You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
    INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
    Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
    Annals of Internal Medicine
    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to Annals of Internal Medicine.
    You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your purchase.
Annals of Internal Medicine Logo Menu
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives
  • Author Info
Advanced Search
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Summaries for Patients |4 December 2007

Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults Free

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information
Author, Article, and Disclosure Information

  • The summary below is from the full report titled “Medication Use Leading to Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults.” It is in the 4 December 2007 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 147, pages 755-765). The authors are D.S. Budnitz, N. Shehab, S.R. Kegler, and C.L. Richards.


Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians.
×
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Jump To
  • Full Article
  • FULL ARTICLE
  • FULL ARTICLE
    • What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
    • Why did the researchers do this particular study?
    • Who was studied?
    • How was the study done?
    • What did the researchers find?
    • What were the limitations of the study?
    • What are the implications of the study?
  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Supplements
  • Audio/Video
  • Summary for Patients
  • Clinical Slide Sets
  • CME / MOC
  • Comments
  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
  • Email Link
More
  • LinkedIn Link

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Adverse drug events are unwanted conditions related to the side effects of drugs. Older people are at a higher risk for adverse drug events than younger people. This is partly because people tend to need to take more drugs as they get older, and older people are more susceptible to side effects than younger people. Adverse drug events are a common cause of emergency department visits among older adults. Some drugs are thought to be inappropriate for use in older people. A panel of investigators developed a list of drugs that were considered inappropriate to use in older people. Drugs on this list are sometimes called “Beers criteria drugs,” named for the investigator who convened the panel.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To see how many emergency department visits for adverse drug events occur in older adults and which drugs were responsible for these visits. They also wanted to see whether Beers criteria drugs resulted in more emergency department visits than other drugs.

Who was studied?

The researchers used information for people 65 years of age and older in 2 databases to estimate the frequency of prescriptions for specific drugs and the frequency of emergency visits for adverse events related to specific drugs: a national survey of visits to doctors' offices and a national database of adverse drug events in 2004 and 2005.

How was the study done?

The researchers used the data to estimate the number of emergency department visits related to adverse events due to specific drugs that occur for older people in the United States each year. They looked at Beers criteria drugs and other drugs separately.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers estimated that U.S. persons 65 years of age or older have more than 175,000 emergency department visits related to adverse drug events each year. Only about 3.6 of every 100 of these visits are due to a Beers criteria drug. Three commonly used drugs (insulin, warfarin, and digoxin) accounted for one third of the visits.

What were the limitations of the study?

The researchers looked only at adverse drug events that led to emergency department visits. Many adverse drug events do not result in an emergency department visit. The researchers also did not have detailed information on how the drugs were being prescribed or used.

What are the implications of the study?

A very small percentage of emergency department visits for adverse drug events in older people are related to Beers criteria drugs. Strategies to prevent adverse drug events in older people should focus on warfarin, insulin, and digoxin, which are drugs that patients often need. There may be better ways to use or to monitor them to decrease side effects.

This feature is available only to Registered Users

Subscribe/Learn More
Submit a Comment

0 Comments

PDF
Not Available
Citations
Citation

Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:I–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-11-200712040-00002

Download citation file:

  • Ris (Zotero)
  • EndNote
  • BibTex
  • Medlars
  • ProCite
  • RefWorks
  • Reference Manager

© 2020

×
Permissions

Published: Ann Intern Med. 2007;147(11):I-24.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-147-11-200712040-00002

©
2007 American College of Physicians
0 Citations
Advertisement

See Also
Medication Use Leading to Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults
View MoreView Less

Related Articles
Medication Use Leading to Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults
Annals of Internal Medicine; 147 (11): 755-765
Adverse Drug Reactions Associated with Global Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Persons
Annals of Internal Medicine; 107 (2): 169-173
Ten Principles for More Conservative, Care-Full Diagnosis
Annals of Internal Medicine; 169 (9): 643-645
Annals Story Slam - Just Another Day in the Emergency Department
Annals of Internal Medicine; 168 (7): SS1
View MoreView Less

Journal Club
In patients in the emergency department with acute pain, 10, 15, and 30 mg of ketorolac did not differ for pain relief
Annals of Internal Medicine; 166 (8): JC44
Neither ondansetron nor metoclopramide reduced nausea and vomiting in the emergency department
Annals of Internal Medicine; 161 (12): JC3
Pooled RCTs: Atorvastatin did not increase renal-related serious adverse events
Annals of Internal Medicine; 161 (8): JC8
In older patients with hypertension, newly prescribed thiazides were linked to metabolic adverse events
Annals of Internal Medicine; 161 (8): JC11
View MoreView Less

Related Point of Care
Fall Prevention in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Annals of Internal Medicine; 169 (11): ITC81-ITC96
View MoreView Less

Related Topics
Emergency Medicine
Geriatric Medicine

Emergency Medicine, Geriatric Medicine.

PubMed Articles
Tea Tree Oil versus Chlorhexidine Mouthwash in Treatment of Gingivitis: A Pilot Randomized, Double Blinded Clinical Trial.
Eur J Dent 2020;14(1):55-62.
Is Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia Exposure Associated with a Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Nationwide Cohort Study.
Am J Perinatol 2020.
View More

Results provided by: PubMed

Advertisement
CME/MOC Activity Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
The Comments Feature Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
link to top

Content

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives

Information For

  • Author Info
  • Reviewers
  • Press
  • Readers
  • Institutions / Libraries / Agencies
  • Advertisers

Services

  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Alerts
  • Current Issue RSS
  • Latest RSS
  • In the Clinic RSS
  • Reprints & Permissions
  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • About Annals
  • About Mobile
  • Patient Information
  • Teaching Tools
  • Annals in the News
  • Share Your Feedback

Awards and Cover

  • Personae (Cover Photo)
  • Junior Investigator Awards
  • Poetry Prize

Other Resources

  • ACP Online
  • Career Connection
  • ACP Advocate Blog
  • ACP Journal Wise

Follow Annals On

  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
acp link acp
silverchair link silverchair

Copyright © 2020 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Privacy Policy

|

Conditions of Use

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. | Accept
×

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.

×
PDF Downloads Require Access to the Full Article.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
Annals of Internal Medicine
PURCHASE OPTIONS
Buy This Article|Subscribe
You will be redirected to acponline.org to sign-in to Annals to complete your purchase.
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
Access to this Free Content Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In. Please Choose One of the Following Options
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×