Abstract
Drug therapy problem (DTP) is any event involving drug therapy that interferes with a patient's desired clinical outcome. It is associated with morbidity, mortality, increased hospital stays, and reduced quality of life. Moreover, pediatric patients are quite susceptible to DTP. To determine drug therapy problems and their contributing factors among pediatric patients with infectious diseases admitted at the pediatric ward of Debre Birhan Hakim Gizaw Teaching Hospital (DBHGTH), Ethiopia. A hospital-based prospective follow-up study was conducted at DBHGTH from March 1 to August 31, 2024. To ensure that the sample was representative, a systematic random sampling technique was employed to select participants. Data was collected from interviewing patients' parents/caregivers, older children, and reviews of patients' medical records using prepared standard data abstraction tools and structured questionnaires. Data was analysed by SPSS version 27.0. Binary logistic regression analysis was used. Statistical significance was determined at a 95% CI, with a p-value 10 days) [AOR: 6.18, 95%CI: 1.95-19.56, p = 0.002]; patients with high number of medications (≥ 5) [AOR: 3.91, 95%CI: 1.33-11.48, p = 0.013]; and patients with high number of comorbidity (> 1) [AOR: 4.27, 95% CI: 1.60-11.37, p = 0,004] were the predictors of the occurrence of DTPs. The prevalence of DTPs in the pediatric ward was moderate. It implies a substantial burden requiring attention. It was found that the majority of the problems were related to indication, whereas the need for additional drugs was the predominant DTP. Antibiotics were the commonly prescribed classes of drugs involved in DTPs.