Drug-related problems among patients with infectious disease admitted to medical wards of Wollega University Referral Hospital: Prospective observational study

INTRODUCTION: Drug-related problems can affect the treatment outcomes of hospitalized patients and outpatients that lead to morbidity and mortality. Despite this, there were scanty of studies among patients with infectious diseases in Ethiopia. As the result, this study was tried to assess the magnitude and determinants of drug therapy problems among infectious disease patients admitted to the medical wards of Wollega University Referral Hospital. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted from May to August 2019. The prevalence and types of drug- related therapy problems were studied using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe Foundation classification system, and adverse drug reaction was assessed by using the Naranjo algorithm. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of drug-related problems, and a significant association was declared if p-value < 0.05. RESULT: Of the 172 study participants, 106 (61.6%) were males, and the patient’s mean age was 39.1 ± 14.31 years. Over the study period, 123 (71.51%) patients had drug-related problems. Need for additional drug therapy was the widely occurred drug-related problem that accounts for 107 (22.77%), and the most common drug-associated with the drug therapy problem was ceftriaxone (77 (44.77%)). This inappropriate use of ceftriaxone might be due to the preference of physicians to prescribe this broad spectrum antibiotic in which it was prescribed for the majority of the infectious disease etiology. Polypharmacy (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.505, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.863–11.131), length of hospital stay ⩾ 7 days (AOR = 4.396, 95% CI: 1.964–7.310), and presence of co-morbidity (AOR = 2.107, 95% CI: 1.185–4.158, p = 0.016) were determinants of drug-related problems. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of drug-related problems was found to be high. Hence, the clinical pharmacy service should be established to tackle inappropriate indications, ineffective drug therapy, and adverse drug events in the study area.