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Epidemiology and potential risk factors of drug‐related problems in H ong K ong paediatric wards
Author(s) -
Rashed Asia N.,
Wilton Lynda,
Lo Charles C. H.,
Kwong Benjamin Y. S.,
Leung Suzanne,
Wong Ian C. K.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/bcp.12270
Subject(s) - medicine , interquartile range , epidemiology , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , medical record , confidence interval , intensive care , neonatal intensive care unit , intensive care unit , prospective cohort study , cohort study , dosing , emergency medicine , intensive care medicine , physics , optics
Aims A drug‐related problem ( DRP ) is ‘an event or circumstance involving drug therapy that actually or potentially interferes with the desired health outcome’. The extent and characteristics of DRPs in children in H ong K ong are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of and identify risk factors for DRPs in hospitalized children in H ong K ong. Methods This was a prospective cohort study in children aged 0–18 years who were admitted to a medical ward, paediatric intensive care unit or neonatal intensive care unit of seven H ong K ong hospitals, during a 3 month period. Patients' charts, medical records and laboratory data were reviewed daily to identify DRPs ; their preventability and severity were assessed. Logistic regression was used to analyse potential risk factors associated with the incidence of DRPs . Results Three hundred and twenty‐nine children (median age, 2 years; interquartile range, 0 months to 9 years) were included. In total, 82 DRPs were experienced by 69 patients. The overall incidence of DRPs was 21.0% (95% confidence interval, 16.7–25.8%). The incidence was higher in neonatal and paediatric intensive care units than medical wards. Dosing problems were the most frequently reported DRPs ( n = 35; 42.7%), followed by drug choice problems ( n = 19; 23.2%) and adverse drug reactions ( n = 11; 13.4%). Sixty‐seven (81.7%) DRP cases were assessed as preventable, 42 (51.2%) as minor and 40 (48.8%) as moderate. The number of prescribed drugs and ‘certain infectious and parasitic diseases’ were potential risk factors for occurrence of DRPs . Conclusions Drug‐related problems were common in hospitalized children in this study in H ong K ong; the most frequent were dosing and drug choice problems, and the majority of them were preventable. Polypharmacy and ‘certain infectious and parasitic diseases’ were potential risk factors.

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