BfArM researches errors in the medication

Study to investigate medication errors as the cause of hospital admissions

28/11/2014

Adverse drug reactions due to medication errors cause around 500,000 hospital emergency admissions per year in Germany. These figures are based on expert estimates, as there are only isolated data on the frequency and causes of medication errors. As part of a research project, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) intends to close this data gap in the future, thereby contributing to the improvement of drug therapy safety.

BfArM wants to develop strategies for avoiding medication errors
The project involves three clinics in Bonn, Fürth and Ulm. The BfArM experts evaluate about 90,000 emergency referrals to hospitals for a year to see if they are due to errors in prescribing or using medications. About 9,000 cases of these are expected to be due to adverse drug reactions, the researchers expect. From the results, they promise to get first insights into the extent and causes of medication errors. This should lead to strategies for avoiding these sometimes momentous errors. „At the same time the relation to such adverse drug reactions should be recorded, which are not caused by medication errors“, informs the BfArM.

Contribution to the improvement of drug therapy safety
„Medication errors lead in practice again and again to considerable damage to health, although they would often be avoidable. Here, we can specifically contribute to a further improvement in drug therapy safety with our research in the interests of the patients“, explains BfArM president Prof. dr. Karl Broich. The research project is headed by Prof. dr. Julia Stingl and Prof. dr. Dirk von Mallek from the BfArM and the Faculty Center for Translational Medicine at the University of Bonn. In addition, there is a cooperation with the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association (AkdÄ), which starts at the same time as a project to centrally record and evaluate medication errors. „Data from the spontaneous reporting system are also used, ie suspicious transaction reports, which among other things, report to doctors and patients to the BfArM“, informs the Federal Institute. Both projects are part of the Federal Ministry of Health's Action Plan 2013-2015, which aims to improve the safety of medicines in Germany. The BfArM research project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Health with 580,000 euros. (Ag)