Prevalence of prescription and non-prescription drugs-related overdoses at emergency departments in Amman—a cross sectional study

Abstract

A major concern associated with misuse and abuse of drugs is the potential for overdose. This study is aimed at evaluating, over a 1-year period, drug-related overdoses (those involving prescription and non-prescription drugs) that have led to patients presenting at three major emergency departments in Amman. A data collection sheet was designed to capture the information required from the emergency records in each hospital. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows (version 20). A total of 788 patients were admitted to the emergency departments with acute drug overdoses using 135 different kinds of drugs. The female-to-male ratio was 1.7:1. The highest incidence of drug overdoses was in children 5 years old and younger (49%). Paracetamol was the most common drug involved in overdoses (14%), followed by ibuprofen (6.7%), diclofenac (4%), and amoxicillin (4%). It is recognized that overdose is among the most frequent reasons for visits to emergency departments. Regulations, appropriate post-marketing vigilance, and higher awareness of drugs misuse and abuse potentials which could lead to overdose are recommended for medical prescribers, pharmacists, and the public.

Keywords:

• Amman
• drug overdose
• emergency department

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article. This work received funding from the University of Jordan’s Deanship of Academic Research.