Two decades of medication administration errors related to pain management: Hospital admissions for nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics in Australia.

The rate of medication poisoning is constantly increasing globally, increasing the number of hospital admissions and the burden on the health system. In Australia, nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics medications cause a high rate of accidental poisonings. This study aims to study hospital admissions trends related to medication administration errors (MAEs; poisoning by, adverse effect of and underdosing of) of nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics-related in Australia from 1998 to 2022. This ecological study used hospital admissions data from the National Hospital Morbidity Database. Population data were extracted from the Australian Bureau of Statistics dataset. We analyzed data based on overall trends, type of admissions, and demographics. A total of 1,61,597 hospital admissions MAEs for nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics were recorded during study time. The annual number of admissions increased by 43.6%, reflecting a 3.8% increase in the hospital admission rate. The main reason for admissions was MAEs of 4-aminophenol derivatives. Most episodes were overnight admissions. The incidences of admissions were higher among younger age groups and females. Medication administration errors of nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics-related hospital admissions rose significantly in Australia. The most common causes of admission were poisonings by 4-aminophenol and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Admissions are higher in the age group below 20 years and in females. Raising public awareness about medication risks and implementing targeted interventions are required.