ABSTRACT
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on their website states that adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can be serious enough to cause hospital admission. It is suggested that ADRs can account for 1 in 16 hospital admissions and for 4% of hospital bed occupancy. In addition, it is believed that ADRs occur in 10–20% of patients in hospital; with 2% of patients admitted with an ADR dying (approximately 0.15% of all patients admitted). Therefore, it can be seen that ADRs can be a burden on the health service as well as affecting patients’ quality of life. This chapter covers what an ADR is, types of ADRs, and how to minimise risk of ADRs.
