Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes are vulnerable to experiencing drug-related problems. Thus, this study aimed to assess drug-related problems and their predictors among patients with diabetes attending the ambulatory clinic of Gebre Tsadik Shawo General Hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1, 2019 to November 30, 2019. Drug-related problems were identified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe version 5.01. Patient's written informed consent was obtained after explaining the purpose of the study. The data were collected using structured questionnaires and entered into Epi data version 4.0.2. Then, it was exported to SPSS version 21.0 for analysis. To identify predictors of the occurrence of drug-related problems, multiple stepwise backward logistic regression analysis was done. For the accuracy of data analysis, a 95% confidence interval was used, and statistical significance was considered at p-values <0.05. RESULTS: From a total of 141 patients with diabetes included in the study, 58.2% of them had at least one drug-related problem during the 3-month study period. A total of 156 drug-related problems were identified in 141 patients. Drug interactions (30.76%) and drug choice problems (25%) were the most common type of drug-related problems identified. Presence of disease comorbidity (AOR=4.12, 95% CI=1.71-9.91), poly-pharmacy (AOR=6.27, 95% CI=1.67-23.52) and more than 5 years diabetes duration (AOR=3.89, 95% CI=1.52-9.95) were independent predictors of drug-related problems. CONCLUSION: Drug-related problems were high among patients with diabetes in the study setting. Early detection of drug-related problems ensures the appropriateness of drug therapy. Therefore, a sustainable pharmaceutical care service is needed for early identification, prevention and resolution of drug-related problems.