Rabu, 02 Mei 2012

GP drug blunders hit 40% of the elderly: Patients given unnecessary pills and wrong doses

GP drug blunders hit 40% of the elderly: Patients given unnecessary pills and wrong doses

  • Patients even prescribed drugs to which they were allergic, in rare cases

By Sophie Borland

PUBLISHED: 18:33 EST, 1 May 2012 | UPDATED: 02:15 EST, 2 May 2012


Hundreds of thousands of elderly patients are being wrongly prescribed drugs by their GPs, a study warns today.

The pioneering research found that four in ten of those aged over 75 on medication had been affected by a medical blunder in the last year.

This included being given unnecessary drugs or the wrong dose. Some were also not given crucial treatments alongside their medicine to protect against side-effects.

Four in ten of those over 75 on medication had been affected by a medical blunder in the past 12 months

Four in ten of those over 75 on medication had been affected by a medical blunder in the past 12 months

Researchers even discovered patients who were prescribed drugs to which they were allergic, although this was rare.

In the first study of its kind, University of Nottingham academics examined the records of 1,777 patients of all ages in 15 surgeries in England to look for errors.

They found one in 20 of the prescriptions handed out to all patients in the last year contained a mistake ranging from the minor to more serious. But the elderly, classed as the over-75s, were twice as likely to be given incorrect medication.

This is because they tend to be taking many more medications than younger age groups.

dignity for elderly.jpg

GPs were also found to be failing to carry out proper checks to ensure that strong drugs were not causing harmful side-effects.

In some cases, patients were given the blood-thinning drug warfarin for heart disease without having regular blood tests to check they were not likely to suffer severe bleeds.

Study leader Professor Tony Avery blamed the mistakes on GPs not properly being trained to prescribe certain drugs, being distracted by patients during consultations and technical glitches on computer systems.

‘GPs work under considerable time pressure with frequent distractions and interruptions,’ he said.

‘Often prescribing is squeezed at the end of a consultation. Few prescriptions were associated with significant risks to patients but it’s important we do everything we can to avoid all errors.’

Professor Avery, an expert in primary health care, stressed that only a handful of errors were likely to be putting patients at ‘significant risk’.

In one example in the study, funded by the General Medical Council, the team came across a patient given penicilli n even though they were allergic to the drug.

Edith Reid, with her husband Eric

Enlarge   Edith Reid died of a nosebleed


The 62-year-old did not suffer a severe reaction but the mistake could have been fatal.

In another case, an elderly patient was rushed to hospital with bleeding in the stomach caused by painkillers prescribed by their GP. The doctor had not given the person the necessary drugs to prevent this side-effect.

Many other elderly patients were given warfarin for heart disease without having crucial checks to ensure that their blood was properly clotting.

Some 42 per cent of mistakes were classed as ‘minor’, which included patients not being given proper instructions on when to take drugs.

Another 54 were ‘moderate’, which often included patients being given ibuprofen or other painkillers without medication to prevent stomach bleeds. The remaining 4 per cent were classified as ‘serious’.

Professor Sir Peter Rubin, chairman of the GMC, said: ‘GPs are typically very busy, so we have to ensure they can give prescribing the priority it needs.

‘Using effective computer systems to ensure potential errors are flagged and patien ts are monitored correctly is very important to minimise errors.

‘Doctors and patients could also benefit from greater involvement from pharmacists in supporting prescribing and monitoring.’

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

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A lengthy prison sentence for killing their patients would take their minds off their £150K salaries and provide the care that we pay for.

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Big Pharma = Big Karma.

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Tell me about it. My doctor said I have a five percent chance of having a heart attack. He said I should take statins for the rest of my life. I would also need a liver function test because statins can cause liver disease. I think I would rather take a five percent chance of a heart attack. Five percent of the older aged population is quite a lot and it makes sense for the NHS. But the risk of complications is too great an individual.

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Why is the DM so anti-doctor?

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Pipesmoker. Maybe if you quit smoking pipes, you could extend your life expectancy.

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I always check any drugs prescribed which is just as well as three days ago I was prescribed a pain killer by my doctor which would have had devastating consequences if I had taken them together with my regular anti depressant. Unfortunately, most people have faith that their doctor knows what they are doing, especially the elderly, who are brought up to treat doctors as demi gods. Makes me wonder just how many have been harmed in this way and not said anything.

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Always check your prescriptions before you leave the Chemist. If it's wrong they can take it back. If you wait until you have left the premises before you discover the mistake, they have to throw the drugs away, even if they haven't been opened. I'm a pretty fit 65 year old with just a touch of arthritis. I've been prescribed anti-inflammatories that have caused permanent thinning of the lining of my stomach (so no more of those, ever) and another drug that can be beneficial for arthritis but can also cause permanent damage to sight (so I'm not taking it). In the last few months my GP has also prescribed the wrong painkillers twice and gave me the wrong cream for my sun-damaged skin that was actually a gel for aches and pains. If I hadn't read the instruction leaflet I'd have used it and the damage would have worsened. Nice one - thanks a bunch!

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Hospitals and doctor's surgeries are the most dangerous places on Earth. During the last twenty years I have experienced three serious cardiac events caused by over prescription of drugs for hypertension. Taking the dose recommended by the doctor my heart rate had dropped to 24 bpm and my blood pressure to ridiculously low levels. Whatever may be wrong with me I beleive my life expectancy will be better served by avoiding the medical profession?

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Government, doctors, pharmaceutical co's. Warning: Taking these together may harm your health.

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As most of them are writing a prescription before you've even sat down, is it any wonder. Most of the patients coming out with a prescription don't even need one, but there's cash in them thar pills.

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