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21,000 adverse drug effects cases in UAE

DUBAI — An estimated 21,000 cases of adverse drug effects occur per year in the UAE, a clinical pharmacist has estimated.

Dr Sahar Abu-Omar, clinical pharmacist from GAHS, Abu Dhabi, was speaking on ‘Medication Safety: A local experience’ at a parallel session on the sidelines of the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition, 2006 that concluded yesterday.

Dr Sahar noted that no data was available in the UAE regarding medication errors and only one study based on a model to extrapolate data from a UAE study was done in Ajman University estimating the adverse effects.

“The challenges that healthcare systems globally face with medication safety are very similar. However, in the UAE, the major challenges include availability of data through research, national investment on patient safety and the common challenges of 'culture of medicine',” she said.

“In answering the global call to minimise and improve patient safety, the General Authority for Health Services for Abu Dhabi, and the Pharmacy Council has established a Medication Safety Subcommittee (MSC) to develop, implement and monitor a medication safety programme in all Abu Dhabi hospitals,” explained Dr Sahar.

The main goals of the subcommittee include promoting a no-blame culture across hospitals (non-punitive policy approved), encouraging medication error reporting, set up infrastructure through hospital-based safety teams, promoting pharmaceutical care approach, practices through implementing medication safety best practices and technology by adopting computerised physician order entry. A "know your medications" public awareness campaign in the UAE was conducted in January, the conference was informed.

According to a Institute of Medicine (IOM) 1999 report, as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people worldwide die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors, while 7,000 die from medication errors alone.