Evaluation of drug interactions of outpatient prescriptions in East Azarbaijan province in 1396

Abstract

Introduction: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) occur when the effect of one drug is altered in the presence of another drug, which can manifest as synergistic, addictive, or antagonistic effects. DDIs are one of the major causes of the prevalence of drug side effects. This study was performed to evaluate the type and severity of DDIs in prescriptions. Objective: Investigation of drug interactions in a number of accepted prescriptions in East Azarbaijan Health Insurance. Materials and Methods: The prescriptions accepted in the Health Services insurance of East Azerbaijan Province during 1396 were entered into the prescription evaluation software of the province food and drug organization and then analyzed. Also, information such as the number of copies, the average number of items in each prescription and DDIs were examined by prescription evaluation software. Also, all DDIs in terms of clinical significance, as well as whether they were avoidable or unavoidable, were finally extracted and a common pattern of possible interactions was extracted and presented. Results: A total of 486708 copies were reviewed, of which 63823 were reported by the Food and Drug Administration's version of the interfered version review software. These interactions were investigated with uptodate software. There were 31659 copies of non-significant interactions, 23818 copies of Class C interactions, 8068 copies of Class D interactions, and 278 copies of Class X interactions. Conclusion: The pharmacist's presence in the medical team can reduce the errors in prescribing medications, given his knowledge of existing drug forms, physicochemical properties of drugs, and drug-drug interactions. Therefore, the clinical pharmacist, with the help of his unique training and expertise in all aspects of prescribing and delivering medicine and being aware of the exact results and severity of drug-drug interactions, can prevent its occurrence.