Survey of Drug-Related Problems Identified by Pharmacists in a Secondary Hospital in Rivers State

Drug-related problems represent a significant burden in hospital settings and contribute to prolonged hospital stays, treatment failure, and preventable patient harm. This study identified and categorised drug-related problems (DRPs) documented by clinical pharmacists at a secondary care hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South South Nigeria. A prospective observational study was conducted over six months, during which pharmacists reviewed prescriptions and patient medical records in the medical, surgical, and paediatric wards. DRPs were classified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) classification system version 9.1. A total of 480 patients were included in the review. At least one DRP was identified in 66.7 percent of patients, with a mean of 1.9 DRPs per affected patient. The most common DRP categories were drug selection problems (31.4 percent), dosing issues (26.8 percent), and adverse drug reactions (22.1 percent). Drug-drug interactions were identified in 18.7 percent of cases, with a significant proportion involving antimalarials and cardiac medications. Pharmacist interventions were accepted by prescribers in 74.3 percent of cases. The study concludes that clinical pharmacists play a vital role in identifying and resolving DRPs in Nigerian secondary hospitals, and recommends formalising clinical pharmacy services and pharmacist ward rounds as standard practice across Rivers State hospital settings.

Keywords: drug-related problems, clinical pharmacy, PCNE classification, Rivers State, hospital pharmacy