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Definitions abound in the medical error and patient safety literature, with subtle and not-so-subtle variations in the meanings of important terms. We have tried to adopt the most straightforward terminology, with definitions that enjoy the widest use.


Potential ADE:
A potential adverse drug event is a medication error or other drug-related mishap that reached the patient but happened not to produce harm (eg, a penicillin-allergic patient receives penicillin but happens not to have an adverse reaction). In some studies, potential ADEs refer to errors or other problems that, if not intercepted, would be expected to cause harm. Thus, in some studies, if a physician ordered penicillin for a patient with a documented serious penicillin allergy, the order would be characterized as a potential ADE, on the grounds that administration of the drug would carry a substantial risk of harm to the patient.

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