Prevalence of polypharmacy and risk of potential drug-drug interactions among hospitalized patients with emphasis on the pharmacokinetics.

Background: Both polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs), especially those at the pharmacokinetic level, are common in hospitalized patients and are associated with adverse effects and failure of therapy.

Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate retrospectively the prevalence of polypharmacy and the risk of potential pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction among hospitalized patients.

Methods: The medical documentation of hospitalized patients in the unit of internal diseases at the hospital "St Marina" in Varna, Bulgaria for a period of six months (January-July 2016) was retrospectively reviewed.

The role of the clinical pharmacist in the prevention of potential drug interactions in geriatric heart failure patients.

Background The treatment of heart failure patients is very complex and includes lifestyle modification as well as different pharmacological therapies. Polypharmacy is very common in such patients and they are at increased risk of potential drug-drug interactions and associated effects such as poor adherence, compliance and adverse events. Objective The aim of the present study is to investigate retrospectively the prescribed pharmacotherapy of the hospital discharged heart failure patients for possible drug interactions.