Essay On Ambulatory Care

Most ADRs that occur either in the hospital settings or ambulatory care are preventable. ADRs occur commonly in older outpatients with a reported prevalence ranging between 5% and 35%. 34 – 36 In the United States, ADR – related morbidity and mortality costs have been estimated at US $30 billion to US $ 13 billion annually 37, 38 which has increased up to $177.4 billion in the year 2000. 37 ADRs result in increased healthcare costs. These events have been shown to increase cost by $3,244 per ADR.39 Few studies have investigated costs associated with ADR– related hospital admissions. Some evidence suggests that ADRs related to hospital admissions are associated with higher rate of subsequent health services utilization and costs.40 Previous studies have found that those presenting with an ADR have a longer median hospital stay and a higher rate of subsequent outpatient health service use than those without ADRs.40, 41 A study in Canada found that hospital admissions due to ADRs in older patients cost an estimated US $35.7 million
They have important consequences, and one – third of such events are preventable or ameliorable. Improvements in monitoring for and responding to symptoms appear to be especially important for the prevention of ADRs in this setting. In addition, improved communication between ambulatory care patients and their physicians may reduce the frequency of these events. It is clear that ADRs are a source of economic burden on patients, their care – givers and the health care systems that treat them. The majority of the ADRs are mild, however, in some untoward incidents these might be severe, life threatening and/ or fatal. Therefore, through pharmacovigilance (PV) activities, spontaneous reporting of ADRs and conducting observational studies are important tools for detection, assessment and prevention of ADRs, therefore reducing the financial burden of these