Do older hospital patients recognize adverse drug reactions?

OBJECTIVE: To establish the relationship between subjective complaints of side effects of drugs and the objective presence of adverse drug reactions in older patients. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional study. SETTING: Five medical wards at the University Hospital Rotterdam Dijkzigt. SUBJECTS: Patients aged 70 and over admitted to the general medical wards over a 3-month period. METHODS: Statistical comparison and Kramer's algorithm. RESULTS: Of 106 patients, 102 used medication, and 93 of these were able to report whether they believed they were experiencing drug side effects. Thirty-six [... Mehr ...