DOSE APPROPRIATENESS AND ADJUSTMENT OF DRUGS IN CHRONIC KIDNEY FAILURE PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF TELANGANA

Background: Dose appropriateness in Chronic Kidney Disease patients is crucial to avert toxicity since several drugs are eliminated through kidneys. The present study was taken up to identify the degree of appropriateness in the dosage regimen of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: The study was a prospective observational study carried out in the Department of Nephrology in a tertiary care hospital of Telangana for 6 months. Patients diagnosed with CKD were included in the study, and the data regarding the demographic details, stage, prescribed drugs, etc., were obtained from the patients’ medical records. The creatinine clearance was estimated using Cockcroft Gault (CG) equation. The dose appropriateness was compared with the guidelines and published literature. Results: Out of 274 CKD Patients admitted, 200 were included in the study, amongst 35 % of the patients were in the age group of 61-75 years, followed by 41-60 years of age (33%). Almost 94.5% of patients were found to have co-morbid conditions with diabetes, hypertension and heart function disorders as the most prominent ones. More than 5 drugs were the average number of prescribed drugs per prescription entry. 37% of prescription entries were found to have dose inappropriateness, and 33% of drugs were adjusted appropriately. Conclusion: The present study points out that dosing errors were observed in patients with CKD. Pharmacist intervention in dosing, upgrading of knowledge regarding dose adjustments may progress and lead to quality enhancement of prescription as well as dodge adverse drug reactions.