Overview

Name: High-risk medicines

Description: Reducing harm from high-risk medicines

This casebook is published and has been read 54 times.

The author of this casebook has identified the following medical topics as being highly relevant to this casebook.

• Drug Allergy -- Immunologically mediated adverse reactions to medicinal substances used legally or illegally.
  
  
• Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced -- Abnormal movements, including HYPERKINESIS; HYPOKINESIA; TREMOR; and DYSTONIA, associated with the use of certain medications or drugs. Muscles of the face, trunk, neck, and extremities are most commonly affected. Tardive dyskinesia refers to abnormal hyperkinetic movements of the muscles of the face, tongue, and neck associated with the use of neuroleptic agents (see ANTIPSYCHOTIC AGENTS). (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1199)
  
  

Notes

High-risk medicines are those that are most likely to cause significant harm to patients, even when used as intended. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices reports that incident rates with this group of medicines may not necessarily be higher than with other medicines but, when incidents do occur, the impact on patients can be significant.

According to studies by the U.K. National Health Service,  the medicines most frequently associated with severe harm were:

 

• Anticoagulants

• Antibiotics (allergic reactions)

• Injectable sedatives

• Chemotherapy

• Opiates • Antipsychotics

• Insulin

• Infusion fluid

 

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