A profile of adverse drug reactions in a rural tertiary care hospital

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a great concern in therapeutics. ADRs were ranked between the fourth and sixth leading causes of death in the USA. Aims and Objectives: The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying, analyzing the causality, pattern, and severity of ADRs occurring in our institution. Materials and Methods: A non-interventional observational study was conducted over 1 year from January to December 2015. The yellow forms dropped in the red ADR boxes are collected and analyzed for demographic data, causality, severity, drugs implicated, and organ system affected. The data were presented as numbers and percentages. Results: Antimicrobials are the most common drug class implicated in ADRs, and the dermatological system was the most common system affected by ADRs. All the reactions either belonged to the probable or possible category. Majority of reactions were nonserious. Conclusion: 175 ADRs were reported, which shows reporting was adequate. Awareness should be increased among health-care professionals regarding polypharmacy, which helps in reducing the ADR incidence.