According to Sailesh Patel, PharmD, District Pharmacy Director for California at PharMerica, there are two types of ADEs that are most common in I/DD populations:

• Administrative ADEs. “Medications are given by direct support professionals, not clinicians. Because these individuals have limited training and turnover is high, this often results in medications being mis-administered,” says Patel. This may mean issues such as medications being given at the wrong time, in the wrong dosage or with contraindicated medications.
• Polypharmacy-related errors. People with I/DD often have multiple comorbidities and, therefore, take numerous medications. “The typical I/DD patient takes 8-10 medications per day, and the two largest classes are psychotropic and anti-seizure medications that have multiple complications and side effects,” says Patel.