What is the difference between an adverse drug reaction and an adverse event?
Very often, the terms “adverse reaction” and “adverse event” are used synonymously. This is not always correct. An adverse event is any undesirable experience that has happened to the patient while taking a drug but may or may not be related to the drug. An adverse event is not always the same as an adverse drug reaction, as adverse events encompass ADRs but may also include cases where no association has been or can be made between drug administration and the adverse event experienced. An example of an adverse event is a patient being hit by a car while on a specific medication, while an ADR could be a patient experiencing anaphylaxis shortly after taking the drug. Click here to submit a Yellow card.
