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Objective To assess the frequency of adverse drug event (ADE)-related admissions (ADE-RAs) during a prospective medical record review of patients admitted to a metropolitan tertiary referral hospital. Methods Potential ADE-RA cases were identified by examination of case records of randomly selected patients. Cases were assessed by an expert panel to measure study outcomes, which were the frequency (ADEs and ADE-RAs) as well as type, likelihood of causality, severity, avoidability and detection of ADEs. Results Of the 370 subjects, 59 (16.0%) had a confirmed ADE-RA, with 15 (4.1%) of these serious and preventable. The 59 ADE-RAs were a result of 72 discreet ADEs. Adverse drug reactions were the most common type of ADE, followed by non-compliance. Of the 72 discreet ADEs, 31.9% were classified as 'probable' or 'highly probable'. Most ADEs (54.2%) were classified as 'definitely avoidable', 34.7% were classified as 'severe' and 21.8% were classified as both 'definitely avoidable' and 'severe'. Half the ADEs were detected after the patient had been admitted and most were detected by medical practitioners. Antineoplastics followed by antidiabetic agents were most frequently implicated. Conclusions Implementing a systems approach that involves multiple strategies, such as improving tertiary-to-primary care information transfer and promoting medication adherence through education programs, is necessary to tackle the problem of avoidable ADE-RAs and the associated cost burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore emergency department clinicians' perceived resource barriers to facilitating organ and tissue donation (OTD). Methods. A cross-sectional national online survey of Australian emergency department (ED) clinicians. Results. ED clinicians reported a range of resource barriers that hinder the facilitation of OTD, most notably a lack of time to discuss OTD with a patient's family (74.6%). Those reporting more resource barriers had been less involved in OTD-related tasks. For example, those reporting a lack of time to assess a patient's suitability to be a potential donor had less experience with OTD-related tasks in the last calendar year than did those who reported that they often or always have enough time for this (P < 0.01). In addition, ED clinicians working in DonateLife network hospitals were more involved in OTD-related tasks (P < 0.01) and reported fewer resource shortages in the ED and the hospital overall. Conclusions. Resource shortages hinder the facilitation of OTD in the ED and are related to decreased involvement in OTD-related tasks. In addition, ED clinicians working in DonateLife hospitals are more involved in OTD-related tasks and report fewer resource shortages overall. Addressing resource shortages and extending the DonateLife network could benefit OTD rates initiated from the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]