title: A study on drug-drug interactions through prescription analysis in a South Indian teaching hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess the drug-drug interactions (DDIs) through prescription analysis among the inpatients of a South Indian teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a prospective observational prescription analysis conducted for a period of 6 months, from October 2010 to March 2011. The prescriptions having two or more drugs and where a DDI was suspected were selected by the physician in charge of the ward. The drugs in the prescription were then entered into the drug interaction checker software. The DDIs were classified based on the mechanism of interactions, severity of interactions, relation to the number of drugs prescribed, and disease conditions were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 204 prescriptions were analyzed, of which 186 prescriptions had 856 DDIs. Most of the DDIs were pharmacokinetic drug interactions (42%) followed by unknown mechanisms (34%) and pharmacodynamic mechanisms (24%). The study findings showed that the prescriptions for cardiovascular with respiratory disease conditions had the greatest number of drug interactions on average. A severity assessment showed that majority of the DDIs were moderate (70%) followed by minor (28%). The study results showed that as the number of drugs increases in a prescription, the number of DDIs also increases. The interventions determined showed that dosage adjustment (12%) was to be followed in most of the DDIs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study assists in understanding the factors associated with DDIs that can help in safe and effective use of drugs in the future.
authors.affiliation: JSS College of Pharmacy (A Constituent College of JSS University) Post Box No.20, Ooty - 643 001 Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.affiliation: JSS College of Pharmacy - Pharmacy Practice, Rocklands, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Swathi Swaroopa
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bora
authors.affiliation: JSS College of Pharmacy - Pharmacy Practice, Rocklands, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Sapineni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sirisha
authors.affiliation: JSS College of Pharmacy - Pharmacy Practice, Rocklands, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saji
authors.affiliation: JSS College of Pharmacy - Pharmacy Practice, Rocklands, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Siraj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sundaran
keywords: disease conditions; drug–drug interaction; inpatients; management; mechanism; severity
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