Epidemiology, outcomes research, and drug interactions.

Drug interactions are one of several outcomes (typically adverse) associated with drug therapy. The bulk of the clinical literature that has been published about drug interactions has focused either on the mechanisms, pharmacokinetic studies, or cases observed by clinicians. However, when it comes to the true risk of a drug interaction, or the probability of such an interaction occurring in a given population, a dearth of information is available. This area is opportune for the application of epidemiological and outcomes-based studies.