A pharmacoepidemiologic study of drug interactions in a Brazilian teaching hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-59322006000600005Keywords:
Prescriptions, Drug-drug interactions, Teaching Hospital, Pharmacovigilance, Drug utilizationAbstract
PURPOSE: Although drug-drug interactions constitute only a small proportion of adverse drug reactions, they are often predictable and therefore avoidable or manageable. There are few studies on drug-drug interactions from Brazil. This study aimed to assess the frequency of drug-drug interactions in prescriptions and their potential clinical significance in patients of a Brazilian teaching hospital. METHODS: From January to April 2004, a sample of 1785 drug prescriptions was drawn from a total of 11,250. Drug-drug interactions were identified by using Micromedex® DrugReax® System. Patients'records with major drug-drug interactions were reviewed by a pharmacist and a medical doctor looking for signs, symptoms, and lab tests that could indicate adverse drug reactions due to such interactions. RESULTS: From the 1785 prescriptions examined, 1089 (61%) were from the male adult ward. Patients' average age was 52.7 years (SD = 18.9; range, 12-98). The median number of drugs in each prescription was 7 (range, 2-26). At least 1 drug-drug interactions was present in 887 (49.7%) prescriptions. Regarding the severity of the clinical result, the interactions were classified as minor (20; 2.3%), moderate (184; 20.7%), major (30; 3.4%), and undetermined because of an incidence of more than 1 interaction in a single patient (653; 73.6%). From the 30 patients with major interactions, 17 (56.7%) presented adverse drug reactions induced by exposure to a major drug-drug interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Patients did suffer adverse drug reactions from major drug-drug interactions. Many physicians may be unaware of drug-drug interactions. Education, computerized prescribing systems and drug information, collaborative drug selection, and pharmaceutical care are strongly encouraged for physicians and pharmacists.Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Downloads
Published
2006-01-01
Issue
Section
Clinical Sciences
How to Cite
A pharmacoepidemiologic study of drug interactions in a Brazilian teaching hospital . (2006). Clinics, 61(6), 515-520. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-59322006000600005