Huge rise in adverse medical reactions

IRISH hospitals have witnessed a huge increase in the number of adverse medical reactions in the past 12 months, with 30,000 more cases reported in 2008 than just a year previously.

Figures compiled by the State’s clinical indemnity scheme (CIS) show that while 55,058 cases of adverse reactions to prescribed drugs and medical treatment were recorded in 2007, just 12 months later the figure had jumped to 83,661.

The yearly statistics, detailed in the CIS’s June 2008 and March 2009 newsletters, show that while a significant amount of the increase is linked to a rise in slips, trips and falls — which jumped by 10,000 in a year — a clear rise in medication errors has also contributed to the increase.