Prevalence of drug-related hospital admissions and associated factors among chronic internal medicine wards in Wolaita Sodo University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital

Drug therapy is fundamental to clinical care, aiming to optimize outcomes while minimizing risks. However, increased medication use has raised the prevalence of drug-related problems (DRPs), which may lead to serious consequences, highlighting the need for proper management and monitoring. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of drug-related hospital admissions (DRHA) among chronic care patients and its associated. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a previously validated tool. Descriptive statistics summarized sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, while binary logistic regression identified associated factors. Variables with a p -value < 0.25 in bivariate analysis were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model to control for potential confounders. A p -value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. Out of 367 patients, 34.6% experienced DRHAs. Significant predictors included comorbidities, chronic kidney disease (CKD), younger age, and urban residence. Patients with ≥ 3 comorbidities had 3.25-fold higher odds (AOR = 3.25, 95% CI 1.75–6.04), 1–2 comorbidities nearly doubled the risk (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.21–3.23), CKD increased risk (AOR = 2.41, 95% CI 1.41–4.13), young adults aged 18–35 had higher odds (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.01–2.69), and urban residents had 54% higher odds (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.01–2.35). DRHAs were considerably high in the study setting. The most common causes were noncompliance, untreated indications, unnecessary drugs, and adverse drug reactions, most of which were preventable.