Assessment of potential drug-drug interactions among outpatients receiving cardiovascular medications at Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Jimma zone, Oromia region, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: - The quality of pharmacotherapy is highly dependent on the process of choosing a drug in relation to nature of the disease. Several factors should be considered in choosing optimal pharmacotherapeutics strategy including efficacy, safety, availability, and cost of the drugs. Objective: - To assess potential drug-drug interactions and risk factors in outpatients taking cardiovascular drugs at Jimma University specialized hospital Methods: - A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess potential drug–drug interactions at Jimma University Specialized hospital from Feb. to April, 2011. All sampled outpatients (332) on cardiovascular medications and visiting the hospital during the study period were included. MicroMedex software was used to screen drug-drug interactions and binary logistic regression was made using spss window software versions-16 to assess the descriptive and association of variables Results: - A total of 332 patients who were prescribed 1249 drugs (average, 3.76 drugs per prescription) were enrolled and the frequency of potential DDIs was found to be 241 (72.6%). It was found that 200 (67.3%) of the potential DDIs were of "moderate" severity, delayed in onset and good in documentation status. Cardiovascular drugs carried a risk of DDIs (676 drugs, or 77.5%). Patients who prescribed many drugs by medical intern had a higher risk of developing DDIs. The most common potential DDI observed was between enalapril and Furosemide (n = 59). Conclusion: - patients with cardiovascular disorders are subjected to high risk of potential drug-drug interactions and the number of drugs prescribed and educational level of the prescribers has a high significantly associated with the occurrence of potential drug-drug interactions. Therefore, it is imperative that health care professional constantly alert to recognize this problem and provide appropriate mechanisms for management, thereby reducing adverse outcomes.