| Abstract: | Adverse drug reactions represent an area of concern in the delivery of medical care; most recognized negative indices of health can result from the untoward effects of drug therapy. Current data indicating the nature and extent of the problem are considered to be inadequate for making policy decisions. This study contributes new information about drug reactions in a disadvantaged population, by (1) identifying the nature and the extent of the adverse effects of drugs and (2) estimating the costs for the treatment of these adverse effects.The findings showed that oral contraceptives accounted for almost 26% of the medical care contacts and almost 33% of the estimated costs for treating adverse effects. An incidence rate of approximately 2.3 and a prevalence rate of approximately 2.2 suggest that relatively few persons were treated for the adverse effects of drugs. Costs directly attributable to their treatment, including hospitalization but excluding outpatient drug costs, were estimated to be 44 cents per person per year.Although the adverse effects of drugs did not appear to be a major problem in terms of their occurrence and potential severity for a disadvantaged population and in terms of their economic impact upon a medical care system, more information is needed if strategies for dealing with them are to be efficient and effective.Dr. Campbell is Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy BG-20, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195. The other authors are with the Health Services Research Center, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, 4610 S.E. Belmont Street, Portland, Oregon 97215, where Dr. Johnson is Senior Investigator, Dr. Senft is Research Consultant, and Mr. Azevedo is Projects Administrator, for Drug Systems Research. This work was supported in part by Public Health Service grant 1 R 18 HS-01561-01. The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Marilyn W. Drichas, Health Services Research Center, in the preparation of the data. |
