Glossary

SOS Rx Retreat

National Consumers League

Aspen Wye River Conference Center

November 9-11, 2003

GLOSSARY

Adverse drug event:[1] An injury from a medication (or lack of an intended medicine). This includes injury from either a medication error or adverse drug reaction. Some adverse drug events are predictable and preventable, while others are not.

Adverse drug reaction:[2] Any unexpected, unintended, undesired or excessive response to a medication that:

- Requires discontinuing the medicine

- Requires changing the medication therapy

- Requires modifying the dose

- Necessitates admission to a hospital

- Prolongs stay in a health care facility

- Necessitates supportive treatment

- Significantly complicates diagnosis

- Negatively affects prognosis, or

- Results in temporary or permanent harm, disability or death

Consumer actions – those things consumers can do to enhance medication safety, e.g., ask a health care professional about side effects

Medication error[3] – Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging and nomenclature; compounding, dispensing, distribution, administration, education; monitoring; and use.

Outpatient – a patient who is neither hospitalized overnight, nor resides in an institutional setting in which he/she receives medical treatment from a health care professional, but instead receives treatment in a doctor’s office, clinic, or day surgery and/or takes medication either independently, or with the assistance of a caregiver. Outpatient care is called ambulatory care.

Senior –65 years and older

System changes – changes people working in health care organizations can implement, e.g., electronic decision support. System changes typically involve processes, procedures, protocols, infrastructure, technology, and polices.