Medication Safety
Today's medicines cure infectious diseases, prevent problems from chronic diseases, and alleviate pain and suffering for millions of Americans every day. But medicines can also cause harm, and adverse drug events cause over 700,000 emergency department visits each year. Patients can do a number of things to help reduce the risk of harm from medicines for themselves and their family members.
Factsheets
- Medicine Safety: Who's At Risk and What You Can Do
- Pediatric cough and cold medicines
- For Parents: Young Children and Adverse Drug Events
- For Adults and Older Adult Adverse Drug Events
Podcasts
Data and Statistics
- National surveillance of emergency department visits for adverse drug events
Budnitz DS, Pollock DA, Weidenbach KN, Mendelsohn AB, Schroeder TJ, Annest JL. National surveillance of emergency department visits for outpatient adverse drug events. JAMA 2006;296:1858-66.
- Adverse drug events in children
Cohen AL, Budnitz DS, Weidenbach KN, Jernigan DB, Schroeder TJ, Shehab N, Pollock DA. National surveillance of emergency department visits for outpatient adverse drug events in children and adolescents. J Pediatr 2008;152: 416-421.
Schaefer MK, Shehab N, Cohen AL, Budnitz DS. Adverse Events from Cough and Cold Medications in Children. Pediatrics (Published online at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090114055021/http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/peds.2007-3638v3).
Cohen AL, Jhung MA, Budnitz DS. Stimulant medications and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. N Engl J Med 2006;354:22954-5.
Infant deaths associated with cough and cold medications - Two states, 2005. MMWR 2007; 56:1-4.
Unintentional medication exposures among young children, United States, 2001-2003. MMWR 2006; 55:1-5. (Reprinted in JAMA 2006;295:882-4.) - Adverse drug events in adults and older adults
Budnitz DS, Shehab N, Kegler SR, Richards CL. Emergency department visits for adverse drug events in older adults: the contribution of potentially inappropriate medication use. Ann Intern Med 2007;147:755-765.
Paulozzi LJ, Budnitz DS, Xi Y. Increasing deaths from opioid analgesics in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2006;15:618-27. - The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance Project
Jhung MA, Budnitz DS, Mendelsohn AB, Weidenbach KN, Nelson TD, Pollock DA. Evaluation and overview of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project (NEISS-CADES). Medical Care 2007;45 (suppl 2):S96-S102.
Assessing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance Project - Six Sites, United States, January 1-June 15, 2004. MMWR 2005;54:380-3.
Budnitz DS, Pollock D, Mendelsohn AB, Weidenbach KA, McDonald AK, Annest JL. Emergency department visits for outpatient adverse drug events: demonstration for a national surveillance system. Ann Emerg Med 2005;45(2):197-206.
Medication Safety Links
General Medication Safety
- What You Need to Know to Use Medicine Safely, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Get the Facts About Your Medication, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- Drug Safety, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Fact Sheet: What You Can Do to Avoid Medication Errors*, Institute of Medicine
- Educate Before You Medicate*, National Council on Patient Information
- Over the Counter Medication Safety*, Consumer Health Products Association
Medication Safety for Children
- How to Give Medicine to Children, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Medicines in My Home, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Tips to Prevent Poisonings, CDC
Medication Safety for Adults and Older Adults
- Taking Medicines Safety, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Medication Use Safety Training for Seniors*, National Council on Patient Information and Education
- Using Medications Wisely*, AARP
- For Safe Use of Oral Anticoagulants*, SOS Rx
- Increases in Poisoning and Methadone-Related Deaths: United States, 1999-2005
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Date last modified: March 27, 2008
Content source:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP)
National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases
Content source:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP)
National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases