December 30, 2015: Medication Incidents that Increase the Risk of Falls: A Multi-Incident Analysis
Falls remain the leading cause of injury-related hospital admissions among Canadian seniors, with 20% to 30% of this age group falling each year. Psychotropic medications and polypharmacy are widely recognized as factors contributing to an increased risk of falls, because of the inherent clinical effects of the medications, their adverse effects, additive toxic effects, and drug interactions. Lack of adherence with medication therapy and less-than-optimal treatment of the underlying disease state may also trigger falls. ISMP Canada has received many incidents of medication-related falls from various sectors of healthcare. A multi-incident analysis of reported incidents was conducted to identify system processes that had clearly resulted in a fall or that could increase the risk of falls. Read more...
