Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) as a Cause of Hospitalization at a Government Hospital in Saudi Arabia: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Background:ADRs represent a substantial burden on health care resources worldwide and are considered as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality which significantly affects hospitalization rates. However, ADR related hospital admissions are not well explored in Saudi Arabia.Objective:The current study aims to evaluate ADR-related admissions at King Saud Hospital, Unaizah, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.Methods:A prospective, observational study was conducted at King Saud Hospital Unaizah. Over a period of 6 months, patients above 12 years of age who visited the Emergency Department (ED) with an ADR were included in this study. The investigators collected patient data by reviewing the patient's medical records and the ED records for admission. The Naranjo algorithm was used to assess the causality of the suspected ADR, and Hartwig’s Severity Assessment Scale was used to assess the severity of the ADR.Results:Out of 4739 admissions to the wards, 38 (0.801%) were related to an ADR. The majority of patients were male (52.6%), with a mean age of ± 49.08 years. The total length of hospital stay was 565 days with a mean of ± 14.87 days. The causality assessment shows that 35 (92.1%) cases were probable ADRs, whereas 3 (7.9%) cases were possible ADRs. Moreover, the severity assessment showed that 6 (15.1%) cases were mild, and 27 (71.1%) and 5 (13.2%) cases were moderate and severe, respectively. In regard to the outcome of patients, most patients recovered after the ADR, and 2 ADRs resulted in the death of the patient.Conclusion:Our study shows that ADRs as a cause of hospitalization in Qassim population is considerably low. However, ADRs may contribute to morbidity and mortality and result in a considerable financial burden.

Patterns of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in Saudi Arabia

“…It is interesting to note that paracetamol, a widely available over-the-counter drug, was associated with 1.4% of the total serious ADRs, including elevated liver enzyme, rash, renal failure, diarrhea, and hypotension. Our results were compatible with findings of another study conducted in a governmental hospital in Saudi Arabia, which found higher ADR proportion (31.6%) for (NSAIDs, Analgesic) indicating a possible regional phenomenon ( Alayed et al, 2019 ). This might also be related to polypharmacy or serious misuse of over-the-counter medications in Saudi Arabia, which should be addressed in future studies.…”

Understanding Patient Needs Regarding Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Smartphone Applications: A Qualitative Insight from Saudi Arabia

“…This will boost identification of ADRs at the national level and will open up a new horizon for research to understand and prevent different ADRs. A recently published national study (R.A. Almubark et al, 2020) for community-based adverse drug reactions in Saudi Arabia targeting community pharmacy visitors estimated that over a quarter (28%) of the sample in the KSA experienced symptoms of at least one ADR in the previous year, which is higher than the prevalence in similar studies in Sweden (7.8%) and Italy (9.9%) [ 26 , 27 ]. Consumer reporting could become crucial for the developing countries to implement a proper and efficient PhV system that could reduce morbidity and mortality as well as the economic burden of ADRs [ 28 ].…”

Sex differences associated with adverse drug reactions resulting in hospital admissions

“…Poor recognition and registration of ADRs as the cause of admission could explain this discrepancy. In addition, most of the studies into ADR-related hospital admissions consist of actively reported or actively registered ADRs at the time of admission resulting in a higher chance of recognition than in retrospective data [8,9,[17][18][19][20][21][22]. We studied hospital admissions that are coded after discharge; therefore, our results are also influenced by the method and accuracy of coding by the hospitals.…”