ADE: Adverse Drug Events

Why We Want to Prevent ADE

Adverse drug events are injuries stemming from medication use. Adverse drug events occur in vast numbers every year in both inpatient and outpatient settings. ADEs cause more than 770,000 deaths per year.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, ADEs affect around 2 million hospital stays every year and account for roughly 33 percent of all adverse events in a hospital setting. ADEs make up the largest category of adverse events experienced by patients in a hospital setting. In an outpatient setting, ADEs involve 1 million visits to the emergency department and more than 100,000 hospital admissions.

ADEs are preventable in both settings. ADEs lead to increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalizations and higher costs. A 2007 report found that between 380,000 and 450,000 preventable ADEs occurred in United States hospitals.