Evaluation of potential drug interactions in antimicrobial prescriptions in a hospital.

Abstract

Background: Drug interaction is a process that occurs when the effects and/or toxicity of a drug are modified by the previous or simultaneous presence of another drug, which may result in a change in therapeutic efficacy or an increase in the risk of adverse events. Objective: to evaluate the potential drug interactions of antimicrobials in prescriptions of patients admitted to a hospital in the State of Para, in 2019. Methods: This is a qualitative-quantitative, retrospective and cross-sectional study, carried out by collecting data from medical records of patients who used antibiotics and were hospitalized in 2019 in a hospital in Para. Drug interactions were assessed using the Micromedex database. Results: During the study period, 83% (n = 762) of the patients who were admitted to the institution used antibiotics. There was a male prevalence of 54% (n = 409), the average age was 56 years. 6870 drugs were prescribed, of which 1,727 (25%) were antimicrobials, an average of two antibiotics prescribed per patient. A 52% rate (n = 395) of drug interactions was obtained between antimicrobial drugs and other classes. The drug ciprofloxacin had the highest number of interactions, 42% (n = 165), interacting with 12 different drugs. Conclusion: the prescriptions analyzed showed a high index of potential drug interactions. Thus, it is stated that the presence of the pharmaceutical professional inserted in the multiprofessional teams and in the process of evaluating prescriptions in the hospital sector, is of extreme importance and need to reduce risks and increase patient safety in the use of medications.