Better protect patients from medication errors

Better protect patients from medication errors

01/20/2015

Every year, more people die in Germany because of the side effects of medicines than on the road. Pharmacists therefore demand that patients be better protected against medication errors.

More deaths from side effects than on the road
Annually die from the side effects of drugs more Germans than in the road, reports the Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations (ABDA). Professor Ulrich Jaehde explained at the Pharmacon Schladming, the international advanced training congress of the Federal Chamber of Pharmacists: „Road traffic has become increasingly safe over the last few decades, for example through the use of seat belts and the standard introduction of airbags. Comparable levels of safety must be introduced in drug therapy.“ Jaehde is a pharmacist and teaches at the University of Bonn Clinical Pharmacy.

Making use of medication safer
According to various estimates, between 16,000 and 58,000 Germans die directly or indirectly from drug side effects per year. In comparison, there are about 4,000 accident deaths a year. It goes on to say that the mismanagement of polymedication not only has health consequences, but costs an estimated 1 billion euros a year in Germany. The goal of drug therapy safety (AMTS) is to make the use of drugs much safer in the coming years. It is said that about five percent of all hospital admissions are the result of adverse drug reactions.

Seniors particularly often affected
Because of the simultaneous occurrence of several diseases and the resulting polymedication, this rate is even around ten percent in seniors. Jaehde said: „About half of all drug-related hospital admissions could be avoided as they are the result of a medication error. Doctors, pharmacists, nurses and patients need to work together better.“ For example, a medication error occurs when a patient suffering from diabetes inadvertently ingests a blood sugar-lowering medication without eating something as planned shortly thereafter. The result of this may be low blood sugar and a fainting or fainting of the victim. Frequent medication errors are also interactions between drugs.

Cooperation needs to be better coordinated
It goes on to say that pharmacists can do a lot to improve the AMTS and thus patient safety, for example within the framework of a so-called "AMTS" „medication management“. There are three main approaches to improving AMT, according to one source: First, a medication plan is essential in which all currently ingested medicines are fully listed. In addition, collaboration between doctors, pharmacists and nurses needs to be better coordinated. And the third step, which is also indispensable, is the information of the patients and their active involvement.

Medicinal therapy safety application on the health card
An agreement on drug therapy safety was also recently reached with regard to the electronic health card (eGK). Thus, the top organizations of pharmacists, doctors, hospitals, dentists and health insurance after just two years of work According to media reports, a few days ago on a substantive framework for voluntary application „Safe drug treatment“ (AMTS) agreed on the eGK. However, it is still a long way to the practical application of voluntary for all patients AMTS function. (Ad)