IMPORTANCE The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 brought attention to adverse drug events in national patient safety efforts. Updated, detailed, nationally representative data describing adverse drug events can help focus these efforts. OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics of emergency department (ED) visits for adverse drug events in the United States in 2013-2014 and describe changes in ED visits for adverse drug events since 2005-2006. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Active, nationally representative, public health surveillance in 58 EDs located in the United States and participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project. EXPOSURES Drugs implicated in ED visits. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES National weighted estimates of ED visits and subsequent hospitalizations for adverse drug events. RESULTS Based on data from 42 585 cases, an estimated 4.0 (95% CI, 3.1-5.0) ED visits for adverse drug events occurred per 1000 individuals annually in 2013 and 2014 and 27.3% (95% CI, 22.2%-32.4%) of ED visits for adverse drug events resulted in hospitalization. An estimated 34.5% (95% CI, 30.3%-38.8%) of ED visits for adverse drug events occurred among adults aged 65 years or older in 2013-2014 compared with an estimated 25.6% (95% CI, 21.1%-30.0%) in 2005-2006; older adults experienced the highest hospitalization rates (43.6%; 95% CI, 36.6%-50.5%). Anticoagulants, antibiotics, and diabetes agents were implicated in an estimated 46.9% (95% CI, 44.2%-49.7%) of ED visits for adverse drug events, which included clinically significant adverse events, such as hemorrhage (anticoagulants), moderate to severe allergic reactions (antibiotics), and hypoglycemia with moderate to severe neurological effects (diabetes agents). Since 2005-2006, the proportions of ED visits for adverse drug events from anticoagulants and diabetes agents have increased, whereas the proportion from antibiotics has decreased. Among children aged 5 years or younger, antibiotics were the most common drug class implicated (56.4%; 95% CI, 51.8-61.0%). Among children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years, antibiotics also were the most common drug class implicated (31.8%; 95% CI, 28.7%-34.9%) in ED visits for adverse drug events, followed by antipsychotics (4.5%; 95% CI, 3.3-5.6%). Among older adults (aged ≥65 years), 3 drug classes (anticoagulants, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics) were implicated in an estimated 59.9% (95% CI, 56.8%-62.9%) of ED visits for adverse drug events; 4 anticoagulants (warfarin, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, and enoxaparin) and 5 diabetes agents (insulin and 4 oral agents) were among the 15 most common drugs implicated. Medications to always avoid in older adults according to Beers criteria were implicated in 1.8% (95% CI, 1.5%-2.1%) of ED visits for adverse drug events. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug events in the United States was estimated to be 4 per 1000 individuals in 2013 an...

Background: Dietary supplements, such as herbals/complementary nutritionals and micronutrients (vitamins/minerals), are commonly used in the U.S., yet national data on adverse effects are limited. Methods: We used a nationally representative stratified probability sample of 63 emergency departments (2004–2013) to describe U.S. emergency department visits for dietary supplement adverse events. Results: Based on 3,667 cases, we estimated that 23,005 (95% confidence interval [CI], 18,611–27,398) emergency department visits, resulting in 2,154 (CI, 1,342–2,967) hospitalizations, were attributed to adverse events from supplements annually. Emergency department visits for supplement adverse events commonly involved young adults aged 20–34 years (28.0%; CI, 25.1%−30.8%) and unsupervised children (21.2%; CI, 18.4%−24.0%). Excluding unsupervised child ingestions, 65.9% (CI, 63.2%−68.5%) of emergency department visits for single-supplement adverse events involved herbals/complementary nutritionals; 31.8% (CI, 29.2%−34.3%) involved micronutrients. Herbal/complementary nutritional products for weight loss (25.5%; CI, 23.1%−27.9%) and increased energy (10.0%; CI, 8.0%−11.9%) were commonly implicated. These weight loss or energy products caused 71.8% (CI, 67.6%−76.1%) of supplement adverse events involving palpitations, chest pain, and/or tachycardia, and 58.0% (CI, 52.2%−63.7%) involved persons aged 20–34 years. Among adults aged ≥65 years, choking or pill-induced dysphagia/globus caused 37.6% (CI, 29.1%−46.2%) of all emergency department visits for supplement adverse events; micronutrients were implicated in 83.1% (CI, 73.3%−92.9%) of these visits. Conclusions: Over 20,000 emergency departments visits in the US annually are attributed to dietary supplement adverse events; these commonly involve cardiovascular manifestations from weight loss or energy products in younger adults, micronutrient ingestions by unsupervised children, and swallowing problems, usually from micronutrients, in older adults.

Background Following reports of increasing emergency department (ED) visits for unsupervised pediatric medication exposures in the 2000s, renewed efforts to improve safety packaging and education were initiated. National data on current trends and implicated medications can help further target interventions. Methods We used nationally-representative data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project (2004–2013) to assess trends in ED visits for unsupervised medication exposures in children aged <6 years. For 2010–2013, we identified the dosage form and prescription status of implicated medications. Results Based on 13,268 cases, there were an estimated 640,161 ED visits (95% confidence interval: 512,885–767,436) for unsupervised medication exposures from 2004–2013. From 2004–2010, the number of ED visits for unsupervised exposures increased by an average of 5.7% annually, peaking at 75,842. After 2010, this trend reversed and ED visits decreased by an average of 6.7% annually to 59,092 estimated visits in 2013. From 2010–2013, 91.0% of ED visits for unsupervised exposures involved 1 medication, most commonly an oral prescription solid (45.9%), oral over-the-counter (OTC) solid (22.3%), or oral OTC liquid (12.4%); 9.0% of visits involved >1 medication. Over 260 different prescription solids were implicated; opioids (13.8%) and benzodiazepines (12.7%) were the most commonly implicated classes. Four medications were implicated in 91.2% of OTC liquid exposure visits: acetaminophen (32.9%), cough and cold remedies (27.5%), ibuprofen (15.7%), and diphenhydramine (15.6%). Conclusions Targeting prevention efforts based on harm frequency and intervention feasibility can lead to continued reductions in ED visits for pediatric medication exposures.

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Objectives. To estimate the number of US emergency department visits for prescription opioid harms by patient characteristics, intent, clinical manifestations, and active ingredient. Methods. We used data from medical record–based surveillance from a nationally representative 60-hospital sample. Results. Based on 7769 cases, there were 267 020 estimated emergency department visits annually (95% confidence interval [CI] = 209 833, 324 206) for prescription opioid harms from 2016 to 2017. Nearly half of visits (47.6%; 95% CI = 40.8%, 54.4%) were attributable to nonmedical opioid use, 38.9% (95% CI = 32.9%, 44.8%) to therapeutic use, and 13.5% (95% CI = 11.0%, 16.0%) to self-harm. Co-implication with other pharmaceuticals and concurrent illicit drug and alcohol use were common; prescription opioids alone were implicated in 31.5% (95% CI = 27.2%, 35.8%) of nonmedical use visits and 19.7% (95% CI = 15.7%, 23.7%) of self-harm visits. Unresponsiveness or cardiorespiratory failure (30.0%) and altered mental status (35.7%) were common in nonmedical use visits. Gastrointestinal effects (30.4%) were common in therapeutic use visits. Oxycodone was implicated in more than one third of visits across intents. Conclusions. Morbidity data can help target interventions, such as dispensing naloxone to family and friends of those with serious overdose, and screening and treatment of substance use disorder when opioids are prescribed long-term.

Introduction: National data on morbidity from nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals are limited. This study used nationally representative, public health surveillance data to characterize U.S. emergency department visits for acute harms from nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals and to guide prevention efforts. Methods: Data collected in 2016 from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project were analyzed in 2018 to calculate national estimates of emergency department visits for harms from nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Results: From review of 5,130 cases, there were an estimated 358,247 emergency department visits (95% CI=280,675, 435,819) in 2016 for harms from nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals and 41.1% resulted in hospitalization (95% CI=32.3%, 49.8%). One half (50.9%, 95% CI=46.6%, 55.3%) of estimated visits involved patients aged ≤34 years; more than one half of estimated visits also involved non-pharmaceutical substances (52.9%, 95% CI=49.7%, 56.1%), including illicit drugs in 34.1% (95% CI=30.9%, 37.2%) and alcohol in 21.8% (95% CI=19.8%, 23.9%). Overall, benzodiazepines were implicated in 46.9% (95% CI=42.5%, 51.2%) of estimated emergency department visits for nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals but were the only substance implicated in just 6.5% (95% CI=5.1%, 7.9%). Prescription opioids were implicated in 36.2% (95% CI=30.8%, 41.7%) of estimated emergency department visits and were the only substance implicated in 11.3% (95% CI=8.6%, 14.0%).

Objective To identify types of containers from which young children accessed solid dose medications (SDMs) during unsupervised medication exposures and the intended recipients of the medications to advance prevention. Study design From February to September 2017, 5 US poison centers enrolled individuals calling about unsupervised solid dose medication exposures by children £5 years. Study participants answered contextually directed questions about exposure circumstances. Results Sixty-two percent of eligible callers participated. Among 4496 participants, 71.6% of SDM exposures involved children aged £2 years; 33.8% involved only prescription medications, 32.8% involved only over-thecounter (OTC) products that require child-resistant packaging, and 29.9% involved ³1 OTC product that does not require child-resistant packaging. More than one-half of exposures (51.5%) involving prescription medications involved children accessing medications that had previously been removed from original packaging, compared with 20.8% of exposures involving OTC products (aOR, 3.39; 95% CI, 2.87-4.00). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications (49.3%) and opioids (42.6%) were often not in any container when accessed; anticonvulsants (41.1%), hypoglycemic agents (33.8%), and cardiovascular/antithrombotic agents (30.8%) were often transferred to alternate containers. Grandparents' medications were involved in 30.7% of prescription medication exposures, but only 7.8% of OTC product exposures (aOR, 3.99; 95% CI, 3.26-4.87). Conclusions Efforts to reduce pediatric SDM exposures should also address exposures in which adults, rather than children, remove medications from child-resistant packaging. Packaging/storage innovations designed to encourage adults to keep products within child-resistant packaging and specific educational messages could be targeted based on common exposure circumstances, medication classes, and medication intended recipients.

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