Perioperative pharmacy services are designed to enhance medication safety and patient-oriented care during surgical procedures. This study set out to review drug use and identify potential drug–drug interactions (pDDIs) within a general surgery department. A prospective, descriptive study was performed in a general surgery service of a Turkish hospital. Individuals admitted for any surgical intervention and hospitalized for at least 24 hours were included. Information regarding chronic medication use, as well as drugs given before and after surgery, was recorded. pDDIs were determined through the Lexicomp database.
A total of 95 participants were evaluated, with a median age of 54 (range: 19–86). Among them, 66.3 % had one or more comorbid conditions. The mean number of drugs ordered postoperatively exceeded that of the preoperative period (5.7 vs. 4.5, p < 0.0001). Additionally, pDDIs were more frequently observed in postoperative medication orders than in those written before surgery (p < 0.05). Most surgical patients in this study presented with at least one chronic illness. The increased quantity of medications used following surgery may have contributed to the occurrence of pDDIs. Consequently, the integration of clinical pharmacy services is anticipated to promote safer and more rational pharmacotherapy in surgical settings.
