ADE
Medical abbreviation · Pharmacology
| Stands for | Adverse drug event |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
ADE stands for Adverse drug event, a pharmacology abbreviation.
Any injury resulting from the use of a medication, including both adverse drug reactions at normal doses and harm caused by medication errors such as wrong dose or wrong drug. ADEs are a leading category of preventable harm in hospitals.
Example: Hypoglycemia after the insulin dose was entered twice was classed as a preventable ADE.
Usage notes
Every ADR is an ADE, but an ADE caused by a dosing error is not an ADR. US government data attribute roughly 1.3 million emergency department visits a year to ADEs, with anticoagulants, diabetes drugs and opioids most often involved. Pharmacists and safety committees review ADEs to find system fixes.
Related abbreviations
More pharmacology abbreviations
- ADA – Anti-drug antibodies
- ADME – Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion
- ADR – Adverse drug reaction
- AE – Adverse event
- ATC – Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification
- AUC – Area under the curve
- BAN – British Approved Name
- BBW – Black box warning
- BE – Bioequivalence
- Cmax – Maximum concentration
- Css – Steady-state concentration
- CYP – Cytochrome P450
See all 36 pharmacology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.