PRESCRIPTION ERRORS AND DRUG INTERACTIONS IN ADULTS HOSPITALIZED IN AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT IN BARRANQUILLA (COLOMBIA)

Abstract

BACKGROUND // Prescribing errors and drug-drug interactions constitute a relevant topic for health professionals in these hospital settings and for the strengthening of strategies to mitigate these errors. The aim of this article was to determine the prescribing errors and drug-drug interactions present in adult patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit in the city of Barranquilla (Colombia).

METHODS // A quantitative study was conducted in which 158 medical records of adult patients who were hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the city of Barranquilla during 2019 were analyzed. Medication errors and drug-drug interactions were determined by means of the Medscape application. Statistical analysis was performed using the RStudio program, descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the data.

RESULTS // Sociodemographically, male sex prevailed, the most frequent pathological history was arterial hypertension, most patients were receiving between one±five drugs, the most common errors were related to omission of dosage, route and time of administration. Drug-drug interactions were reported in 64.5% (102) of the histories and, in terms of the level of severity of the interactions, moderate interactions predominated in 32.9% (52).

CONCLUSIONS // It is evident that there is a high number of medication prescription errors in hospitalized adults, among which pharmacological interactions associated mainly with the number of medications received by individuals in the ICUs stand out.