Assessment of Medicine use and associated outcomes among pregnant women visiting antenatal care units in Public Health Facilities in Butajira, South Central Ethiopia
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Date
2020-09
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Introduction: Medicine use during pregnancy is a growing trend in the world. Medicines easily
cross the placental barrier into the fetal body and are present also in the maternal milk. Exclusion
of pregnant women from clinical trials has left questions about the safety of medicines in
pregnancy. There were no such studies which assess the medicine use pattern and associated
outcomes among pregnant women in Butajira. Hence this study attempted to fill such gaps.
Objective: To assess medicine use pattern and associated outcomes among pregnant women
visiting antenatal care unit in public health facilities in Butajira.
Methods: Institution based prospective cohort study design was employed by interviewing
pregnant women who were on routine antenatal care visit and waiting them until they give birth.
Study participants were waited from March, 2018-November, 2018. Interview included recent
medicine use history. Clinical data was obtained by abstracting the records of women who attended
Antenatal Care follow up.
Result: A total of 399 pregnant women were included in this study, of whom 382(95%) of them
had taken at least one medicine during pregnancy, and 24(6%) of them had self-medicated
themselves. From prescribed medicines for pregnant women, Iron with folic acid was the most
(937, 71.5%) prescribed medicine while Zingeber officinale; ginger was the most (4, 36%) used
traditional medicinal herbs used by the pregnant women. Medicines were prescribed from all FDA
pregnancy risk categories. In this regard, from the total of medicines used by pregnant women,
978(73.3%) were from FDA pregnancy category A, 194(14.5%) were from category B, 128(9.6%)
were from category C, 25(1.9%) were from category D, and 1(0.08%) were from FDA pregnancy
category X.
From 377 study participants with outcomes of pregnancy (Apgar score, birth weight and term of
delivery); 56(15%) had poor pregnancy outcomes while 321(85%) had good pregnancy outcomes.
Conclusion: The majority of the study population used safe and appropriate medications.
However, though low, a limited number of pregnant women were exposed to medications with
potential risk for the fetus. Besides, although few, pregnant women reported the use of traditional
medicinal herbs for which pregnancy risk level was not assigned. No statistically significant
association was observed between medicines used in this study and pregnancy outcomes.
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Keywords
Pregnancy, Apgar score, Medicine use, Birth weight, Term of delivery, Butajira.