Contribution of renal impairment to potentially preventable medication-related hospital admissions.

Background: Medication errors and renal impairment contribute to severe adverse drug events, which may lead to hospital admission.

Objective: To determine whether medication errors and renal impairment contribute to hospital admission and examine these errors for strategies to prevent admissions.

Methods: The 714 medication-related hospital admissions reported in the prospective multicenter study HARM (Hospital Admissions Related to Medication) were analyzed.

Drug dosage adjustments according to renal function at hospital discharge.

Background: Adequate dosing of medication in renal impairment to prevent hospitalizations and adverse reactions is a growing concern in the aging society. There are several dosing guidelines available, but structural use is uncommon.

Objective: To perform a retrospective analysis of the incidence of required versus implemented dosage adjustments according to guidelines in patients with renal insufficiency at discharge and evaluate specific determinants responsible for the percentage of overlooked dosage adjustments.