Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs: recommendations and precautions for safe use in a multidisciplinary surgical department

Aim of the study. Conducting a safety analysis of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in order to develop informed recommendations and precautions for medical practice.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of inpatient medical records of 250 patients in the multidisciplinary surgery department was conducted for the period from December 2023 to February 2024.Results and discussion. Based on the results of the analysis of inpatient medical records, such criteria as the presence of indications for the prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (according to the diagnosis, clinical pain syndrome and according to pain assessment scales), compliance of the choice of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with national protocols/international recommendations, compliance with age, the patient's physiological/ pathological condition and allergy history for the prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were 100%. The indicator for compliance of a single therapeutic dose, route of administration, frequency, duration and an appropriate diluent of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with instructions for use was 86%, where medication errors were mainly made in the frequency of use of drugs. The percentage of polypharmacy was 20%. The criterion for assessing drug-drug interactions between drugs taken by patients showed that interactions of high clinical significance (major) were 8%, while those of moderate clinical significance (moderate) were 40%.Conclusions. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are convenient and affordable drugs that are widely used in the treatment of diseases of various organs and systems. Therefore, to ensure the rational and safe use of drugs in this group, it is necessary to introduce effective recommendations and precautions:1. Timely completion of pain assessment scales and diary records in the Damumed medical information system;2. Development in the Damumed medical information system of divisions of appointments into planned and pro re nata (as necessary), introduction into the system of accurately recording the time of execution of doctors’ prescriptions by nursing staff for strict compliance with the intervals between doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs allowed by the instructions.3. Introduction into the practice of doctors the use of tools to combat polypharmacy in patients ≥65 years old: Beers criteria;4. Conducting educational activities, covering both medical personnel and patients, in order to increase the level of registration of unwanted adverse reactions.