The healthcare community is now worried of a serious threat to the effective treatment of a disease using the right medicines to the patients An adverse Drug Reaction (ADR), This is an unwanted, undesirable effect of a drug which occurs during the regular clinical use.
Such reactions occur almost daily in the hospitals and clinics and can adversely affect the quality of life, often causing considerable morbidity and mortality. We have to give much attention to identify the patient populations most at risk, the drugs most commonly responsible, and the potential causes of ADRs. The prevalence of ADRS worldwide mainly due to the huge increase in the number of drugs on the market, an aging population, and an increase in Community Pharmacies. ADRs may cause patients to lose confidence in or have negative emotions toward their physicians and seek self-treatment options, which may consequently precipitate additional ADRS.
Studies show that around 7% of all hospital admissions are the result of an ADR, and around 10% 20% of inpatients may develop at least one ADR during their hospital stay. The real incidences may be even greater because some ADRS mimic natural disease conditions and may thus go undetected and/or unreported. Although some ADRs show minor symptoms, others are serious and cause death in as many as 0.2%-0.5% of hospitalized patients.
ADRS should be identified quickly and managed to limit their untoward effects on the patient. The cost of managing ADRs can be high, whether they occur in the inpatient or the outpatient setting. Since the clinical diagnosis of an ADR is not always clear, practitioners usually conduct additional laboratory tests or procedures to investigate the cause of a patient’s ADR. They may also prescribe pharmacotherapy for conditions caused by an
unrecognized ADR, further increasing costs and the risk of additional ADRs. If the ADR occurs while the patient is hospitalized, length of stay can be prolonged and overall hospitalization costs may be increased. Additional indirect costs incurred by ADRs include anxiety or depression and missed days of work for the patient and/or the bystanders.
Pharmacovigilance is the study of drug related injuries and making warning or withdrawal recommendations for Pharmaceuticals. It involves the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of ADRs. Pharmacists play à vital role in this process, which can prevent patients from undergoing unnecessary procedures or taking unwarranted drugs. In addition to preserving the safety and quality of life for the patient, Pharmaco vigilance can represent a cost savings to the patient and the health care institution. By reporting known or suspected ADRs, Pharmacists, other Health Care Practitioners, and Patients can assist in identifying patterns and trends, which may lead to increased regulatory scrutiny or even the withdrawal of drugs that do not have a favorable risk-benefit ratio.
We can discuss methods of ADR detection and classification and the associated treatment strategies. Populations most at risk are identified, together with various worldwide ADR reporting methods. Pharmacovigilance strategies are described to assist practitioners in preventing ADRS, associated hospital admissions, and readmissions in their patient populations.
