Awareness of Mothers and Doctors about Drug Utilization Pattern for Illnesses Encountered during Pregnancy

Careful consideration of the benefit to the mother and risk to the foetus, is required, while prescribing drugs during pregnancy.

To assess the pattern of drug utilization during pregnancy and to explore the knowledge, attitude and awareness on drug use by the antenatal mother in a tertiary care hospital setup in western India.

Observational, cross-sectional study involved holding interviews on 501 pregnant women, in OPD and IPD of Obstetrics-Gynaecology Department using a pilot-based questionnaire, was done. Data from prescriptions and case-files were also collected. Drugs were classified pharmacologically and according to teratogenic potential using U.S.FDA classification. Study population was classified according to the trimester of pregnancy and educational and socioeconomic status. Intergroup comparison was done using Chi-square test.

Majority of the drugs were from Category A(71.2%) and Category B (16.5%), followed by those from Categories C(9.09%), D(1.12%) and X(0.7%). Category A drugs were significantly used more in first trimester, while Category C and D drugs were used in the last two trimesters (p<0.0001) for pregnancy associated complications. Only 24.55% of the women believed that drug use in pregnancy could be harmful to both mother and baby, while 35.52% believed that drug use could be dangerous throughout pregnancy. Patients' educational and socio-economic statuses influenced their compliance for nutritional supplements prescribed during pregnancy and their awareness on common contraceptive methods. Higher education and socioeconomic class provided information on safety of barrier contraception during pregnancy.

Study revealed careful prescribing behaviour of physicians. Lack of awareness on safety of drugs in pregnancy and contraceptive use advocates a need for educating and counselling women of child bearing ages.