Identifying and preventing adverse drug events in elderly hospitalised patients: a randomised trial of a program to reduce adverse drug effects.

Objectives: Evaluate the impact of educational intervention in decreasing ADEs in elderly patients in a hospital setting.

Design: Randomised prospective study.

Setting: The study was performed in France in the Paris area, in 16 rehabilitation geriatric centres of APHP (Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris).

[Avoidable hospital drug prescription in the elderly. A review of the literature].

Elderly persons are particularly exposed to drug reactions, especially drug interactions subsequent to multiple prescriptions. It is also recognized that the drug risk is the leading hospital risk involving 1 to 10% of all hospitalized patients. An analysis of the avoidable nature of drug reactions leads to consideration of a sequence of 4 events leading to drug exposure: prescription, delivery, administration and compliance.