A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON DRUG-RELATED PROBLEMS AND POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS OF TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

The aim and objective of the study are to determine the nature, frequency, and potential risk factors of drug-related problems in pediatric patients. For three months, a prospective observational study was carried on 56 pediatric patients at Niloufer Hospital, India. A data collection form was prepared, and DRPs were identified based on the classification criteria of PCNE for drug-related problems (V9.1). A one-tailed Fisher’s exact test or Chi-square test was used wherever appropriate to find a significant association between potential risk factors and DRPs. Odds ratio and confidence interval of 95% were used to see the strength of association. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. SPSS version 22.0 (copyright IBM Corporation and other(s) 1989, 2013) was used for performing statistical analysis. A total of 80 DRPs were identified with 173 causes. A mean of 1.43 with a standard deviation of 0.97 DRPs per patient ranging from 0 to 4 DRPs per patient was found. Nearing half the sample size, [22 (39.29%)] had two DRPs per patient. This indicates that the prevalence of drug-related problems was substantially high in the study area. This study revealed that half of the sample size had two or greater than two DRPs each. The number of drugs prescribed, the presence of comorbidities, and the number of diseases diagnosed have been ascertained as important risk factors for the occurrence of DRPs. The clinical pharmacist plays a significant role in determining and preventing DRPs.