title: Drug-related hospital admissions: a review of Australian studies published 1988-1996.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the extent of drug-related hospital admissions in Australia by reviewing Australian studies published between 1988 and 1996.
  
  
  METHODS
  The terms "drug-related", "admissions", "readmissions", "hospitalisation", "hospitalization" and "iatrogenic" were used to search MEDLINE and Australian Public Affairs Information Service databases. The Australian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy and conference proceedings of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association were searched manually. Studies were included if they were Australian, had the primary aim of identifying drug-related admissions, and had at least one clinical pharmacist or medical practitioner review the admissions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total number of admissions assessed; proportion considered drug-related; drug groups implicated; and proportion considered avoidable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  14 studies were identified; 2.4%-3.6% of all hospital admissions were reported to be drug-related. 6%-7% of emergency admissions, 12% of all admissions to medical wards and 15%-22% of all emergency admissions among the elderly were drug related. Between 32% and 69% of drug-related admissions were reported as definitely or possibly preventable. Drug groups most commonly implicated were cytotoxics, cardiovascular agents, antihypertensives, anticoagulants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drug-related hospital admissions are a significant and expensive public health problem in Australia, and approximately half were considered possibly or probably preventable.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Roughead
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Primrose
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Sansom
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans