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    Journal of Pharmacology and PharmacotherapeuticsNOW IN
    Article

    Patterns of Medication Use and Their Determinants in Pregnancy among Women Admitted to the Obstetrics Wards of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study: Patterns of Medication Use and Their Determinants in Pregnancy

    Boney Rajan1, Elaina Pasangha2, Padmini Devi1★, Shirley George3★ Corresponding author

    1. 1Department of Pharmacology, St. Johns Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
    2. 2St. Johns Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
    3. 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

    CORRESPONDENCE

    Padmini Devi

    Department of Pharmacology, St. Johns Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

    p_nidhin@hotmail.com

    ORCID: 0000-0001-8528-0969

    Received: 21-08-2022; Accepted: 08-12-2022.

    Volume 13, Issue 4 · pp. 388–395 · PUBLISHED 2022 · DOI: 10.1177/0976500X221147803

    View on J Pharmacol. Pharmacother. original site ↗

    ABSTRACT

    Objective: To assess the patterns and factors affecting medication use during antenatal and perinatal periods and to examine maternal and fetal outcomes among pregnant women admitted to a tertiary care hospital in a developing country. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the obstetrics wards from 2017 to 2019. Data on patient demographics, co-existent medical conditions, medications, and patient outcomes were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze baseline data, chi-square test was used for categorical variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used for factors influencing drug prescription. Results: Out of 442 pregnant women, 56% were primigravida with a mean age of 24.7 ± 3.9 years. Approximately 32% experienced at least one disease condition during pregnancy; hypothyroidism (9.7%) was the commonest. The mean number of medications was 2.7 and 38.9% received drugs for a disease condition. Antimicrobials (24.5%) were the commonest drug class. Maternal age of over 25 [(OR (CI): 1.508 (1.191–2.716) (p = .005)] and maternal illness [OR (CI) 2.934 (1.8–4.7) (p = .00)] were identified as factors affecting drug prescription. Approximately 39.8% of deliveries were cesarean. Of the newborns, 12.6% had low birth weight, 9.2% were admitted to the newborn intensive care unit, and 14.9% were premature. Conclusions: Most patients were primigravida and under 25 years. Antimicrobials were the most prescribed drug class. Maternal age over 25 years and maternal illness were identified as the factors affecting medication use. The prevalence of cesareans and prematurity was similar to previous studies.

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      Rajan, B., Pasangha, E., Devi, P., & George, S. (2022). Patterns of Medication Use and Their Determinants in Pregnancy among Women Admitted to the Obstetrics Wards of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study: Patterns of Medication Use and Their Determinants in Pregnancy. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, 13(4), 388–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/0976500X221147803