Hospital Systems for the Detection and Prevention of Adverse Drug Events

In its 2006 report "Preventing Medication Errors," the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that more than 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) occur annually in the United States. Many organizations, including the IOM, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the Leap Frog Group for Patient Safety have advocated the implementation of technologies to reduce ADEs, particularly in the hospital setting. Many technologies have emerged in recent years to reduce ADEs at various points in the medication use process; however, interfacing some of these key technologies with existing hospital systems poses significant challenges.