Anticoagulants and Antidiabetics leading drugs for medication-related ER visits: JAMA

Overall, an estimated 69.1% of ED visits for medication harm involved therapeutic medication use, but among patients younger than 45 years, an estimated 52.5% of visits for medication harms involved nontherapeutic use. The proportions of ED visits for medication harms involving therapeutic use were lowest for barbiturates (6.3%), benzodiazepines (11.1%), nonopioid analgesics (15.7%), and antihistamines (21.8%). By age group, the most frequent medication types and intents of use associated with ED visits for medication harms were therapeutic use of anticoagulants and diabetes agents for patients aged 65 years and older; therapeutic use of diabetes agents for patients aged 45 to 64 years; nontherapeutic use of benzodiazepines for patients aged 25 to 44 years; and unsupervised medication exposures and therapeutic use of antibiotics for children younger than 5 years.

Therefore, the researchers concluded that according to data from 60 nationally representative US emergency departments, visits attributed to medication harms in 2017-2019 were frequent, with variation in products and intent of use by age.

Reference:

US Emergency Department Visits Attributed to Medication Harms, 2017-2019 by Daniel S. Budnitz et al. published in the JAMA.

doi:10.1001/jama.2021.13844