Therapy Pattern and Potential for Drug Interactions In COPD Patients at S.K. Lerik Regional Hospital Of Kupang City

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation and is associated with an increased chronic inflammatory response to certain irritants, gases, or particles. COPD management uses a combination of drugs to treat the disease's symptoms, which varies depending on the patient's condition. The combination of these drugs has the potential to cause drug interactions that result in Drug Related Problems (DRP). A DRP is defined as a change in the effect of a drug due to being given together with other drugs. This study aims to describe the pharmacological therapy given and the potential for drug interactions in COPD therapy at the S.K Lerik Regional General Hospital. This research is descriptive, non-experimental, and observational, using retrospective data. The sample in this study was the medical record data of COPD patients hospitalized at the S.K Lerik Regional General Hospital, with a total sampling technique. The study’s results revealed that the COPD patients’ treatment at the S.K Lerik Hospital mainly uses a combination of corticosteroid therapy (methylprednisolone), bronchodilators (salbutamol), and antibiotics (ceftriaxone). The highest potential for drug interactions was at the mild severity level with the interaction between methylprednisolone and salbutamol, which was given to all patients (12 patients). Due to the high potential for drug interactions of these two drugs, further monitoring is needed in COPD patients to determine the manifestations of these drug interactions in clinical conditions