(310) Drug Use Pattern and Adverse Reactions Among Pregnant Women Accessing Care at The University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

Saturday, August 27, 2022

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM CEST

Location: Hall C

Publication Number: 984

Presenting Author(s)

Timothy A.O. OLUWASOLA, MBA, MBBS, FWAC, MSCI
– College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria

Co-Author(s)

Omolola Ogundare
– University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
Onyinye O. Akunne
– City of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Aduragbenro D. Adedapo
– Clinical pharmacologist and senior lecturer, Pharmacology and Therapeutics/Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria

Background: Pregnant women have been noted to engage in indiscriminate use of drugs for diverse reasons despite the potential to cause risk or adverse reactions that may negatively affect either the mother or the baby or both. Information on drug use pattern and Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) among Pregnant Women Accessing Care (PWAC) at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan has remained undocumented.

Objectives: To evaluate the drug use pattern and incidence of ADR among PWAC at the UCH, Ibadan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among PWAC at UCH, Ibadan for a period of three months. All consenting pregnant women that visited the antenatal clinic were included in the study. A structured, pre-tested and validated questionnaire was used to obtain information the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics such as age, educational level, occupation and religion; their pattern of drug use including indications and prescribers as well as their awareness, perception and experience of ADR in the preceding one month.

Results: There were 200 participants, (mean age, 30.8 years) and almost three-quarters, (148, 74%), had tertiary education. Commonest indications for drug use were Malaria (186, 93%) and body pains (182, 91%) while often used drugs were artemether-lumefantrine, Paracetamol, amoxicillin, loratidine, ciprofloxacin and diclofenac. All, except the antimalarial, were mostly self-medications. The majority, (166, 83%), of the respondents had ever heard of ADR and 24.5% confirmed experiencing ADR especially itching. There was no significant association between educational level and awareness of ADR by the PWAC in UCH (X2=59.99, p=0.12) but there existed a statistically significant association between the drug use pattern and awareness (X2=242.04, p=0.001) and perception of ADR (X2=362.08, p< 0.001).

Conclusions: The level of indiscriminate drug use and eventual ADR in pregnancy remains very high with most participants practicing self-medications. There is urgent need to intensify efforts in increasing awareness on dangers of self-medications especially in pregnancy.