Abstract
Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can cause illness, disability or death, especially in the elderly. An active search for suspected ADRs was carried out using triggers, which motivated the search of elderly people under care in adult emergency departments (ED). It was a cross-sectional and retrospective study that used an adaptation of the Institute of Health Care Improvement triggers. A total of 287 medical records were analyzed and 38 triggers were found, identifying 7 suspected ADRs. One was found without the use of triggers. Thus, in total, 8 ADRs (2.79%) were found, of which 6 were considered serious. There was a higher prevalence of ADRs in females (62.5%) and in those over 80 years of age (50%). The medications most implicated were those for alimentary tract and metabolism and cardiovascular system. Of the triggers tested, some are essential for use at EDs, such as those that indicate problems with anticoagulants, hypoglycemic agents and antihypertensives. Triggers have proved useful for an active search for suspected ADRs at EDs, including severe ones, identifying problems occurring outside hospital settings and signaling medications that pose an increased risk to the elderly .
Drug-related side effects and adverse reactions; Pharmaceutical preparations; Emergency medical services; Aged
