DRUG RELATED PROBLEMS AND IT’S DETERMINANTS AMONG GERIATRICS PATIENTS ADMITTED AT MEDICAL WARDS OF SELECTED HOSPITALS OF SOUTH-WEST ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Geriatric patients are vulnerable to drug related problems because of poly-morbidity associated poly-pharmacy, age related physiological alterations, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics changes. Since these groups of patients often excluded from premarketing clinical trial, the approved doses might be resulted in adverse drug events that further increases drug related problems. This increased Drug related problems can be associated with increased healthcare costs, increased hospital admissions, prolonged hospital stays, reduced quality of life, and increased morbidity and/or mortality. Objectives: To identify drug related problems and its determinants among geriatric patients admitted in medical wards of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Tepi General Hospital and G/Tsadik Shawo Hospital, South-west Ethiopia. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted among geriatric patients admitted to medical wards of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Tepi General Hospital and G/Tsadik Shawo Hospital, from January to December 2019. Clinical pharmacists reviewed drug therapy of patients and identified drug related problems. Descriptive statics was used to summarize categorical variables of drug related variables. Data was entered by Epidata manager version 4.0.2 and analyzed by SPSS version 24. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise approach was done to identify determinants of drug related problems. Results: A total of 384 geriatric patients were included in the study. The average age of the subjects was 67.88 (SD 6.1) years. A total of 609 drug related problem were identified from 86.2% of geriatric patients with an average of 1.58 ±1.02 drug related problems per patient. Having no formal education (AOR=1.93, 95%CI=1.08-3.43, P=0.026), more than two weeks of hospitalization (AOR=3.43, 95%CI=1.86-6.32, P<0.001) and poly-pharmacy (AOR=9.88, 95%CI=4.07-23.97, P <0.001) were determinants of drug related problems. Conclusion: Significant number of geriatric patients experienced one or more drug related problems. Patients who have no formal education, with poly-pharmacy and those who had longer hospital stay were more likely to have drug related problems. Hence, special attention should be given to reduce the occurrence of drug related problems in these patients.