Rabie Gabriel Abdullah*, Raneen Benyamel Yaqoob, Qassm Shamo Tamro, Nagham Faraj Elias, Nareen Khalat Kheder
Vol. 7, Jan-Jun 2019
Abstract:
Objectives: The goal of the present study was to assess and compare the types and the incidence of drug‑drug interactions (DDIs) in prescription orders dispensed in both private pharmacy and hospital pharmacy settings. Methods: A total of 2796 previously dispensed prescriptions were obtained from private pharmacies and hospital pharmacies of Azadi Teaching Hospital/Duhok. The drug interactions were determined by processing all prescriptions using the Lexi‑Comp application. The identified DDIs were sub-classified into five classes (A, B, C, D, X). Results: More than one-half of collected prescriptions had at last one DDI, of which the commonest type of interaction was type C (74.3%) and the interactions were more common in hospital settings than in private pharmacy prescriptions (P < 0.001) Conclusion: The results of the present study confirmed that patients are at high risk of adverse drug interaction and urgent follow-up is required. The study recommends potential follow-up of written prescriptions by hospital pharmacists to avoid disastrous adverse effects and this could considerably prevent the consequence of DDIs in written prescriptions.