A Detailed Description of Evidence-Based Reported Drug Interaction and Impact in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kolkata

Abstract

Drug interactions are said to occur when the pharmacological activity of a drug is altered by the concomitant use of another drug or by the presence of some other substances. The presence of multiple prescribers, multiple pharmacological effects of a single drug, multiple diseases, poor patient compliance, advancing age of the patient, polypharmacy, and some drug-related problems are some of the factors affecting drug interaction. Drug interactions can lead to ineffective therapeutic response and serious adverse events and therefore, early detection and careful monitoring of it can prevent its occurrence and amplify the therapeutic response. In this study, potential drug-drug interactions were detected and monitored regularly during daily rounds and the relevant interactions were then informed to the consultant physicians, along with the corrective measures. Regular follow-up was done for the patients and the measured taken were well documented. Before this initiative, the concept of drug interaction monitoring was not present in the hospital. However, with the conventional method of the study, the system has been recently updated with an automated referral system. As the study shows a positive impact on the improvement of the patient's quality of treatment and betterment of healthcare, this process of drug interaction monitoring and clinical pharmacy practice will be continued. The role of a clinical pharmacist is to prevent and detect interactions and provide reliable advice on interaction management that can greatly add to patient safety and well-being.