title: Medication use and drug-related problems among women at maternity wards-a cross-sectional study from two Norwegian hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a lack of knowledge about drug-related problems (DRPs) among pregnant and lactating women. The aim of this study was to determine the extent and type of DRPs among pregnant and lactating women in the maternity ward at two Norwegian hospitals. We also aimed to investigate which drugs were involved in the identified DRPs, and the outcome of solving the DRPs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient-reported treatment reviews were performed to assess the prevalence and type of DRPs among women at the two maternity wards.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 212 women were included in the study, of which 89 (42 %) had experienced at least one DRP (105 DRPs in total). "Need for additional drug" (49 cases, 46.7 %) was the most frequent. The most frequent drug group involved in DRPs was drugs acting on the respiratory system, and the most common intervention was raising awareness/providing confidence/giving information during the patient-reported treatment review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Over four out of ten women in the maternity wards have DRPs, and many have questions about drug use during pregnancy and lactation. Many of the DRPs could probably be avoided by providing patient-reported treatment reviews to pregnant women as a part of antenatal care. Multidisciplinary collaboration including physicians, midwifes, and pharmacists in antenatal care and in maternity ward could possibly prevent DRPs and thereby promote patient safety for pregnant and lactating women.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, PO Box 1068, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smedberg
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, PO Box 1068, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bråthen
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, PO Box 1068, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Waka
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Women and Children's Clinic, Ullevål, Oslo University Hospital, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1171 Blindern, Oslo, 0318, Norway.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.affiliation: Maternity Ward Unit, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Drammen Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, PO Box 800, 3004, Drammen, Norway.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gjerdalen
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, PO Box 1068, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway. h.m.e.nordeng@farmasi.uio.no.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nordeng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing; D007774:Lactation; D008508:Medication Errors; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Drug-related problems; Medication; Patient-reported treatment reviews; Pregnancy