The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety

A dverse drug events (ADEs) are common, costly, and harmful 1-7 and result from both incorrect (for example, ordering, dispensing, or administering errors) and correct (for example, toxicities) use of medications. Between 5% and 10% of adult hospitalizations may result from ADEs occurring in ambulatory settings; cardiovascular medications are implicated in more than 40% of such cases. 8 Toxicity-related ADEs are significant both for the direct harm they cause and the indirect effects they may have on medication compliance. In the case of statins, for example, while severe toxicity is rare, 9%-20% of patients may experience statin-related muscle side effects. 9 Patient concern over the potential harms associated with statin use is a significant predictor of noncompliance, which poses a threat to health, given the potential benefits of consistent use