Underreporting adverse drug reactions--limitations of the Dutch Hospital Data database
Dijkers, F.W.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 157(6): A5563
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-2162 PMID: 23388140 Document Number: 665236
Data of adverse drug reaction (ADR)-related hospitalizations derived from the Dutch Hospital Data database with reasons for hospitalization have a limited value since they are incomplete. This is attributed to underreporting and misclassification. It seems that caregivers are not careful in registering ADRs. Since 2005, many instruments (rules and agreements) have been devised to promote the safety of medical therapy. It is uncertain whether these instruments will diminish the number of ADR-related hospitalizations. Having a lot of rules is no guarantee that the process will improve. In the vast majority of the rules and agreements, patients have only a modest position. Yet they can play an important role in pharmacovigilance as is shown in a study of web-based intensive monitoring of adverse drug reactions.