Prevalence of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions and its Associated Factors In a Brazilian Teaching Hospital.

ABSTRACT – Purpose. The hazards of prescribing many drugs, including side-effects, drug-drug interactions (DDI) and difficulties of compliance have long been recognized as particular problems when prescribing. This study estimates the rate and factors associated with potential DDI in prescriptions from wards of a Brazilian teaching hospital. Methods. Data were retrieved from wards of a teaching hospital (300 beds) handwritten prescription, once a week during a period of 4 months in 2004. Potential DDI were identified using DrugReax ® system. Patient’s age and gender, number of prescribers; number of drugs and therapeutic drug classes on prescriptions were explored as associated factors to DDI. Results. Th