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Study
The costs of adverse drug events in community hospitals.
March 7, 2012
Hug BL, Keohane C, Seger DL, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2012;38(3):120-6.
Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a leading cause of adverse events and a significant financial burden in the hospital setting. This study found that ADEs incur an average cost of more than $3000 and are associated with an increase in length of stay of 3.1 days. The latter increase is greater than similar studies in academic institutions. The findings may provide further argument for community hospitals to invest in medication safety. The authors advocate for computerized provider order entry, bar-coding systems, and other strategies to potentially reduce ADEs.
