From Adverse Drug Event Detection to Prevention

Medication constitutes a major clinical intervention that may yield significant benefits for the patients. Yet, it can also cause considerable harm, if inappropriately used/ applied. In the US, adverse drug effects are considered as one of the 10 principal causes of death, which has been estimated to harm at least 1.5 million patients/year, with about 25% of the cases being preventable [1]. Hospital admissions, prolonged hospital stays, and serious economic burdens are additional consequences of the problem [2]. A rather common type of medicationrelated problems constitutes adverse drug events (ADEs) that are typically defined as “injuries due to medication management rather than the underlying condition of the patient” [3]. ADEs are classified as pre ventable and non-preventable. Preventable From Adverse Drug Event Detection to Prevention