%0 Journal Article
%@ 1972-2680
%A  Asad Mahnoor
%A  Ullah Waseem
%A  Gajdács Márió
%A  Madléna Melinda
%A  Shanmugham Suresh
%A  Veettil Sajesh K
%A  Jamshed Shazia Q
%A Orálbiológiai és Kísérletes Fogorvostudományi Tanszék SZTE / FOK OKFT [2012-],
%D 2025
%F publicatio:36066
%J JOURNAL OF INFECTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
%N 1
%P 58-66
%T Perceptions of hospital pharmacists regarding roles in preventing and minimizing prescribing cascades: a mixed-method study
%U http://publicatio.bibl.u-szeged.hu/36066/
%V 19
%X Introduction: A prescribing cascade occurs when new medications are prescribed to address an adverse drug reaction (ADR) associated with the preceding use of a medication, which may be mistaken as the onset of a novel disease or condition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of hospital pharmacists regarding roles in preventing and minimizing prescribing cascades.Methodology: A qualitative, semi-structured interview, followed by a quantitative, questionnaire-based study, was carried out at the Shifa International Hospital (SIH; Islamabad, Pakistan). Discharge summaries of patients aged ≥ 60 years were collected to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy at SIH.Results: Discharge summaries of n = 350 patients were collected; 60.2% (n = 211) had comorbid conditions, and the co-occurrence of diabetes and hypertension were the most common. 37.8% (n = 132) were taking 8 or more medications. Eight (n = 8) hospital pharmacists participated in the qualitative study, and 4 major themes were identified in their perceptions regarding prescribing cascades. Fifty-two (n = 52) pharmacists were recruited in the quantitative phase. 86.5% (n = 45) of the participants reported long standing illness/chronic conditions; 67.3% (n = 35) noted the presence of comorbidities as a high risk, while 90.3% (n = 47) noted multiple prescribers, and 75.0% (n = 39) identified the ageing population as important risks factors for polypharmacy.Conclusions: The current research may inform the role and responsibilities of hospital pharmacists in outpatient and inpatient departments, and in interprofessional care teams, in preventing and minimizing prescribing cascades.