‘One in seven’ suffer reactions to hospital drugs

One in seven people admitted to hospital experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to medical treatment, new research claims.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool studied more than 3,000 patients and assessed their reactions to hospital drugs over a six month period.

They found 15 per cent of the patients experienced one or more adverse responses, including constipation, confusion, renal problems, bleeding and infection with Clostridium difficle.

The study also found the adverse reactions increased the length of a patient’s hospital stay by an average of 0.25 days and that elderly patients on a number of different medications were most susceptible.

Professor Munir Pirmohamed, from the University of Liverpool, said: “We had very little data on ADRs experienced as a result of hospital treatment.

“Our results show that the overall burden of ADRs on hospitals is high and therefore new methods of intervention are needed to reduce this.”

He concluded further research was being undertaken looking into ways of improving the safety of medicines, including increased monitoring of patients and the identification of genetic factors that could increase the risk of a patient developing adverse effects.