Intrabases divergences in the mHealth era: a drug interaction investigation in an infectious-diseases hospital setting

Information on potential drug interactions (PDI) are obtained from databases available on the web or through mobile healthcare applications (mHealth), and can prevent unfavorable clinical outcomes for patients. This study compared PDI information available in Micromedex® drug interaction checker, its web version and its mHealth app. Method: A cross-sectional study realized based on a retrospective review of drug prescriptions in a reference hospital in infectology in the Midwest Region of Brazil, 2018. We selected all prescriptions containing two or more drugs. Drugs were classified according to the first level of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification, according to the route of administration and the number of drugs prescribed. PDIs were classified according to the severity system and four-level evidence classification system. Results: This study selected 72 patients, predominantly male, median age of 38 years, average length of stay of 15.8 days, and most diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The most frequently prescribed anatomical groups according to ATC were digestive system and metabolism (22.1%) and general anti-infectives for systemic use (21.6%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 10.8 (SD±6.7). The Micromedex® mHealth app found 381 PDIs while its web version detected 502 PDIs, with an average of 5.3 and 7.0 and frequency of 61.1% and 72.2%, respectively. According to the severity classification in mHealth and web versions, the following stood out, respectively: 221 and 321 severe; 139 and 149 moderate. The majority (>65%) of identified PDIs had their documentation classified as reasonable. Conclusion: Digital tools although they aid decision-making, are not unanimous and consistent in detecting such interactions.