Prevalence and factors associated with drug use in pregnant women assisted in primary care

Perceived risks of over-the-counter medication use among pregnant Saudi mothers: A cross-sectional study

Objectives

Many women use over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, particularly during pregnancy. Therefore, this study investigated the perceived risks of using OTC medicines among pregnant Saudi mothers.

Methods

With a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling, the 28-item Drug Use Health Belief Scale was used to collect data from pregnant Saudi mothers (n = 366) in a general tertiary hospital. The data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. After normality testing, the percentages, mean scores, and standard deviations were used to examine the demographic data. One-way ANOVA was used to identify the relationships between perceived risks on the Health Belief Scale and the participants' sociodemographic profile variables. Post-hoc tests were used to identify differences in the independent variables among groups. The statistical significance threshold was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

Across the five domains of the Health Belief Scale, the perceived susceptibility domain had the highest rank (0.36). Significant differences were observed between the mean scores of pregnant Saudi mothers' perceptions of susceptibility and the benefits of using OTC medications (p = 0.05), perceptions of susceptibility (p < 0.001), and benefits while using OTC medications (p = 0.018) than those who did not use OTC medications. However, no significant differences were observed in the degree of perceived severity, barriers, and self-efficacy in mothers using OTC medications (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Notable differences were found in pregnant women's perceptions of the risks of using OTC medications. Greater awareness of the risks of OTC medication use during pregnancy is required. To ensure mothers' safety, a collaboration between prenatal multidisciplinary team of professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, midwives) in community and hospital settings should be prioritized.

Evaluation of drug prescriptions for pregnant women in the Legal Amazon Region

Abstract Objectives: to evaluate the drug prescriptions for pregnant women in the Legal Amazon during prenatal care. Methods: this is a pharmacoepidemiological, descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study. Medical records included sociodemographic variables, prenatal care, most frequent pharmacological classes prescribed, risk classification of drugs and possible drug-drug interactions among pregnant women. Results: a total of 159 records from pregnant women, enrolled in the Unified Health System were used. Most pregnant women began prenatal consultations in the first trimester of pregnancy (53.3%) whereas most of the drugs were prescribed in the second gestational trimester (55.5%). The most used pharmacological classes, classified according to the National List of Essential Drugs were: antianemic preparations (52.9%), vitamins (12.5%) and analgesic (10.6%). According to the risk classification, the highest prevalence of prescribed drugs belongs to category A (46.8%), followed by category C (28.9%), category B (20.0%) and category D (4.3%). Eight possible drug-drug interactions were found, being considered with mild severity, and six classified with moderate risk. Conclusions: the results demonstrate a lack of information regarding prescription drugs for pregnant women and this may endanger maternal and fetal health. It is essential that medical records be an effective therapeutic tool, which should be read, analyzed and reviewed in order to ensure effective and safe medical treatment.

Self-medication practice and associated factors among pregnant women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background

Self-medication which is the act of obtaining and using one or more medicines without medical supervision is a common practice among pregnant women. Unless proper caution is taken, it may result in maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. In Ethiopia, information on self-medication practice during pregnancy is scanty. Hence, this study aimed to assess self-medication practice and associated factors among pregnant women in government health centers in Addis Ababa.

Methods

An institution-based mixed study design using a sequential explanatory approach was employed among 617 pregnant women and nine key informants in Addis Ababa from May 8, 2017, to June 30, 2017. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select study participants, and purposive sampling technique was used to select the key informants. The quantitative data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23.0 whereas semi-structured questionnaire was used for in-depth interviews. Binary logistic regression was used for quantitative data analysis, and thematic analysis method was used for qualitative data.

Results

The prevalence of self-medication practice was 26.6%. Previous medication use (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.20, 95% CI 2.70-6.53), gestational period (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.98), education on self-medication (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.21-0.62), previous pregnancy and delivery related problems (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.06-2.76), and knowledge about risk of self-medication (AOR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.97) were significantly associated with self-medication practice. Lack of attention and priority of program designers, absence of strategies and guidelines; weak screening mechanisms, and regulatory enforcement were cited by the key informants as contributing factors for self-medication practices.

Conclusions

Considerable proportion of pregnant women practiced self-medication, including medicines categorized to have high risks. Gestational period, previous medication use, education on self-medication, previous pregnancy- and delivery-related problems, and knowledge were significantly associated with self-medication practice. In addition, there are correctable gaps in program designing, screening of pregnant women, regulatory enforcement, and strategies and guidelines. Hence, necessary measures at all levels must be taken to reduce risks of self-medication during pregnancy.