Potential drug-drug interactions and prescription errors in COVID-19 infected patients

Abstract

Introduction Prescription errors can cause havoc during the pandemic, especially for comorbid patients with diabetes and hypertension identified as a risky population group for COVID-19. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the prescription errors, including drug-drug interactions, among outpatients infected with COVID-19. Methods This study was carried out at the outpatient departments of different hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh, through a random sampling method between May and August 2021. Eighty prescriptions from COVID-19 patients were collected, among whom 44 had comorbidities. The Microsoft Excel 2016 program analyzed the prescriptions and online aiding tools, such as Drug Interaction Checker (Drugs.com), were used to identify potential drug-drug interactions. Results Among those 80 prescriptions, 44 cases (55%) contained moderate drug-drug interactions; Moxifloxacin and Remdesivir, the highest observed combination, were detected in 10 prescriptions (12.5%). A total of 7 prescriptions (8.75%) contained significant drug-drug interactions. The dose was not mentioned in 37 cases (46.25%), while the patient’s history was not found in 21 cases (26%). Moreover, 6–10 drugs were found in 54 prescriptions (67.50%), while 11–15 drugs were prescribed in 19 prescriptions (23.75%). Conclusions Prescription error and drug-drug interaction may implicate the disastrous situations more profoundly, especially for the comorbid patients. The prescription error, an avoidable occurrence, may be eradicated by awareness and tools with preventive measures.

Keywords

• comorbidity
• bangladesh
• covid-19
• drug-drug interaction
• prescription error