MEDICATION USE AND PATIENT COUNSELING AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN INKHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL HOSPITAL-BASED STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63735/Keywords:
Medication use; Pregnancy; Self-medication; Pakistan; Patient counselingAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess the medication patterns and its associated factors among
pregnant women attending a tertiary care hospital in Dera Ismail Khan.
Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the Gynecology and
Obstetrics outpatient department of DHQ Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan, from December 2025 to
January 2026. A total of 194 pregnant women were enrolled using consecutive sampling. Data
were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire covering socio-
demographics, obstetric history, and details of medication use. Medications were classified
according to the FDA pregnancy risk categories. Data were analyzed using statistical packages
for social sciences (SPSS) version 27. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. A p-
value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of participants was 25.4 ± 5.2 years. Overall, 61.9% (n=120) participants
reported a use of at least one medication. Multivitamins (35.1%), folic acid (18.6%), and calcium
(13.4%) were most frequently used medications. Notably, 22.7% practiced self-medication, and
only 38.1% received adequate medication information from healthcare providers. No FDA
Category D or X drugs were reported. A significant association was found between medication use and trimester (p=0.033), with highest use in the third trimester (68.9%), and with education
level (p=0.042), being highest among graduates (75.0%). The use of Iron sucrose was
significantly higher in the third trimester (p=0.026).
Conclusion: Medication use was reported by 61.9% of pregnant women, with 22.7% practicing
selfmedication and 56.7% receiving inadequate counseling. Medication use was significantly
higher in the third trimester and among graduate women. No FDA Category D or X drugs were
used. While prescribing practices are generally safe, high rates of selfmedication and poor
patient counseling remain significant public health concerns. Targeted interventions to improve
healthcare provider communication and promote rational drug use are urgently needed.
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Data Availability Statement
The data supporting this study's finding are available from corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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