Accidental falls among hospitalized patients may have unfavorable effects on their quality of life (QOL),among them delaying recovery from diseases and impairing activities of daily living (ADL).Drugs can be a cause of accidental falls in hospital patients and their labels include adverse drug reactions that could be causally related to falling.In the present study,we studied the adverse effects of drug treatment that might cause falls and determined whether such adverse effects were listed in the labeling or not.We investigated the frequency that such adverse drug reactions were stated in drug labeling as well as the number of stated adverse drug reactions that might lead to falls,by drug type and by pharmacological action.
The results indicated that the labeling for psychotropic drugs,such as antipsychotics,anxiolytics,antidepressants,narcoleptics,and anticonvulsants,more frequently listed adverse drug reactions that might lead to falls and these types of drug listed a larger number of such adverse drug reactions.A characteristic relationship was found between pharmacological action and numbers and types of adverse reactions included in drug labeling.However,we concluded that the frequency of listing such adverse drug reactions did not necessarily have a direct effect on the frequency of accidental falls.
