Costs of intravenous adverse drug events in academic and nonacademic intensive care units.
This study discovered that adverse drug events (ADEs) associated with intravenous administration led to increased hospital costs and length of stay, but only in academic centers. Investigators conducted chart reviews for more than 4600 patients in 5 different intensive care units, and present findings from nearly 400 ADEs identified. The majority of events led primarily to temporary physical injuries. In academic settings, the events were associated with more than $6600 in costs and a 4.8 day longer length of stay. The most notable finding was the lack of such differences in nonacademic settings. The authors discuss the differential findings in academic versus nonacademic settings, including how the limitations of their study design may have contributed.