Assessment of potential drug-drug interactions among the inpatients of a tertiary care centre

Introduction: Drug-drug interactions are the unwanted effects of the drug which occurs when the pharmacological action of one administered drug are modified by another drug. The aim of this study is to explore the potential drug-drug interactions of the prescribed drugs in the inpatients of a tertiary care centre. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a point prevalence survey method was conducted among inpatients at Patan Academy of Health Sciences after obtaining ethical approval from IRC- PAHS. Data were collected from inpatient medical records from 10th June, 2025 to 28thJune, 2025 across different wards. Free online checker (available at https://www.drugs.com/ drug_interactions.html) were used to identify potential drug-drug interactions. Results: Among the 265 medical records collected, 152 (57.35%) medical records were identified as drug interactions. Out of 265 medical records, 37 (13.96%) had mild drug interaction 93 (35.09%) had moderate drug interaction and 22 (8.30%) had major drug interaction. The most frequently encountered major drug interactions was between ondansetron and tramadol 6 (2.26%) followed by drug interaction between olanzapine and lorazepam 2 (0.75%). Another important drug interaction encountered was between ceftriaxone and calcium gluconate in 2 (0.75%) of inpatients records. Conclusion: The current study shows that drug-drug interactions are commonly encountered in day to day practice. This study can be regarded as a baseline study which provides valuable information to the prescribers. Use of drug-drug interactions checker will help to play an important role to minimize drug interactions.