Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring and Reporting in Home Health Care

Abstract

AbstractHome health care is one of the fastest growing segments of the health care delivery system in the United States. The scope of medications administered in the home setting have expanded from traditional TPNs and chronic pain manage-ment to include dopamine infusions and other medications previously reserved to the hospital setting. However, little information is available regarding the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) encountered in the home infusion environment, including the degree of severity, the incidence and the patient outcome. Establishing an effective ADR program in the home setting may optimize patient safety and provide valuable information regarding the nature and significance of reactions that occur in this population.The University of Rhode Island has established a dedicated phone line which enables home health care pharmacists to monitor and report ADRs. After 13 months of operation, 125 adverse drug reaction reports were received by the center from two national home infusion providers.