Prescription pattern of NSAIDS and the prevalence of NSAID-induced gastrointestinal risk factors of orthopaedic patients

Abstract

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most commonly used medications in the world. NSAID-induced adverse reactions involve upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract complications, which can be life-threatening. Objectives: The study was conducted to explore the current prescription pattern of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the prevalence of NSAID-induced gastrointestinal(GI) risk factors of orthopedic adult inpatient.Materials and methods: A prospective observational NSAIDs induced GI risk related study was conducted over a period of 6 months by clinical pharmacist. Study cohort included 105 orthopaedic inpatients who are taking or will be taking NSAIDs for more than a week. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by each patient. A simplified risk scoring scale (the Standardized Calculator of Risk for Events; SCORE) was used to measure patients‟ risk for GI complications. The pattern of NSAIDs prescription was identified from medical recordings.Results: The study groups were stratified into four risk groups according to GI SCORE tool, 27.6% of the patients belonged to high risk or very high risk groups for GI complications. Analysis of prescription pattern revealed that 11.4% of the patients aged over 65 yr, 19% with co morbid disease were prescribed with COX-2 selective inhibitor. Conclusion: In this study assessment of prescription pattern and GI risk factors for NSAIDs were evaluated and in conclusion, physician‟s considerate prescription of NSAIDs with well-understanding of each patient‟s GI risk factors is strongly encouraged to prevent serious GI complications