Clarifying Terminology for Adverse Drug Events

Abstract

Letters4 January 2005Clarifying Terminology for Adverse Drug EventsJonathan R. Nebeker, MS, MD, Matthew H. Samore, MD, and Paul Barach, MD, MPHJonathan R. Nebeker, MS, MDFrom Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System and University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, and University of Miami Medical School, Miami, FL 33136.Search for more papers by this author, Matthew H. Samore, MDFrom Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System and University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, and University of Miami Medical School, Miami, FL 33136.Search for more papers by this author, and Paul Barach, MD, MPHFrom Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System and University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, and University of Miami Medical School, Miami, FL 33136.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-1-200501040-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We oppose the recommendation of Otero and Schmitt and others to exclude events related to error from the definition of adverse drug reactions. Doing so would significantly alter the meaning of a term used for decades by the pharmacovigilance community, including regulatory agencies worldwide. Adoption of these new definitions would force agencies to revise regulations and would diminish capacity to analyze trends in rates of adverse drug reactions. The additional complexity of classification also risks exacerbating underreporting of adverse drug reactions by clinicians.The distinction proposed by Otero and Schmitt and others has logical flaws. Regardless of whether ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System and University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, and University of Miami Medical School, Miami, FL 33136. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoClarifying Adverse Drug Events: A Clinician's Guide to Terminology, Documentation, and Reporting Jonathan R. Nebeker , Paul Barach , and Matthew H. Samore Clarifying Terminology for Adverse Drug Events María-José Otero and Etienne Schmitt Metrics Cited BySafety 3.0 and the End of the Superstar ClinicianDesigning a Safe and Reliable Sedation Service: Adopting a Safety CultureTerminologia de incidentes com medicamentos no contexto hospitalar 4 January 2005Volume 142, Issue 1Page: 77-78KeywordsAdverse reactionsBehaviorDrug safetyDrugsPharmacists ePublished: 4 January 2005 Issue Published: 4 January 2005 CopyrightCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...