Journal of Pharmacovigilance

Abstract

Prevalence of Drug-Drug Interactions and Duplicate Therapy in Chronic Patients in Switzerland: A Real-World Data Study

Redona Hafizi* and Anja Bauert

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Drug-Drug Interaction (DDI) and duplicate therapy in chronic patients in a completely random study population engaged in digital health apps in Switzerland. In this cross-sectional study, polypharmacy checks for 100 completely anonymous patients were analyzed for the occurrence of DDIs and duplicate therapy. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with DDIs and duplicate therapy. DDIs and duplicate therapy prevalence were 34% and 33%, respectively. Chi-Square test discovered a significant association between the DDIs and duplicate therapy variables. Logistic regression models showed a strong association between the number of medications taken and higher odds of DDIs occurring in our population only. In conclusion, our study shows that polypharmacy is a determining factor for the occurrence of unwanted DDIs, and the prevalence of duplicate therapy and DDIs is around 33%, increasing an issue regarding patient safety and its burden to the healthcare system.

Published Date: 2022-10-28; Received Date: 2022-09-26