(HealthDay News) — Adverse effects of medical treatment (AEMT) are increasing globally, largely driven by increasing AEMT incidents in older adults, according to a study published in BMJ Quality & Safety.
For this study, a researcher used the Global Burden of Disease framework to examine patterns in AEMT incidence from 1990 to 2019.
“AEMT was defined as harm resulting from a procedure, treatment, or other contact with the health care system,” wrote study author Liangquan Lin, of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking University Medical College in Beijing.
Lin found that, from 1990 to 2019, the global population increased 44.6%, but AEMT incidents increased 59.3%, rising from 11.3 million to 18.0 million. The AEMT incidence rate was 232.5 per 100,000 people in 2019, which represents a 10.1% increase from 1990.
Lin noted that this was largely driven by an increase in AEMT incidents among older adults. For patients aged 50-94 years, AEMT incidents increased globally, and the greatest increase (about 2% per year) was observed in the 65-69 age group.
“As the global population aging advances alongside the increasing quantity of health care services provided, measures need to be taken to address the continuously rising burden of AEMT among the older population,” Lin wrote.