DRUG-RELATED HOSPITALIZATION IN PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS

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Abstract
A survey to estimate drug-related hospitalization was conducted by a clinical pharmacist who participated in medical rounds on a pediatric ward. Data were collected from patients'' medical charts and verified by the attending physicians and the patients and/or their guardians. Adverse drug reactions and inappropriate therapy were defined with criteria supported by medical publications. Approximately 18% of the 906 studied admissions were drug-related: 11.0% as a result of inappropriate drug therapy, 3.4% as a result of patient noncompliance and 3.2% because of adverse reactions. Antineoplastic agents were responsible for most adverse reactions that led to hospital admission, followed by corticosteroids, antimicrobials and anticonvulsants. The last 2 groups of drugs were also responsible for hospitalization because of inappropriate drug therapy and patient noncompliance. Adverse drug reactions were more prevalent in females, in 6- to 10-yr-old children, in patients of Ashkenazic origin and in patients who have experienced similar reactions in the past. Noncomplicance was more prevalent in patients of Sephardic origin.