Drug classes most frequently associated with preventable drug related admission due to prescribing problems
| British National Formulary class | Adverse drug event | Prescribing problem | Number of cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| *If a drug related admission involves more than one causative drug it may be recorded more than once in the table. | |||
| †Further details on “other” drug categories are available on the QSHC website (www.qshc.com/supplemtal). | |||
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs | Gastrointestinal toxicity | Prescription in patients with two or more risk factors without gastrointestinal prophylaxis* | 21 |
| Renal tubular necrosis | Concurrent prescription of two full dose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs without monitoring renal function | 1 | |
| Subtotal | 22 | ||
| Antiplatelet drugs | Gastrointestinal toxicity | Prescription in patients with two or more risk factors without gastrointestinal prophylaxis* | 13 |
| Thrombotic event | Failure to prescribe in patients needing secondary prevention | 4 | |
| Subtotal | 17 | ||
| Beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs | Congestive cardiac failure | Prescription of standard dose beta-blocker in patient with known congestive cardiac failure | 2 |
| Co-prescription of atenolol with verapamil* | 1 | ||
| Tachycardia | Sudden cessation | 1 | |
| Bleeding oesophageal varices | Cessation without prescription of alternative | 1 | |
| Chest pain | Failure to maximise anti-anginal therapy despite ongoing symptoms over a period of time* | 2 | |
| Subtotal | 7 | ||
| Antiepileptics | Fitting | Subtherapeutic prescription | 4 |
| Inappropriate cessation | 2 | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | ||
| Other | 38† | ||