Prevalence, Determinants and Predictors of Drug Outages: Experiences of Hypertensive Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in South-South Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Systemic hypertension is a significant global public health issue, leading to complications like stroke and heart failure. Proper management requires regular antihypertensive medication intake, however, drug outages (DO) disrupt compliance and treatment goals. This study assessed the prevalence, associated factors, and predictors of DO experienced by hypertensive patients in a tertiary hospital in South-South Nigeria.

Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from April to October, 2023. A total of 320 hypertensive patients were recruited from the medical and family medicine outpatient clinics of Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, using systematic random sampling. The main primary outcome of the study was the frequency of DO. Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic details, history of hypertension, medication usage, perceived effects of DO and sources of medication. The data was analyzed utilizing IBM SPSS 23. Ethical clearance was granted by the hospital's research and ethics committee.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 54.8 ± 16.5 years, and the majority, 179 (55.9%), were female. The prevalence of DO was 11%. Monthly income was significantly associated with DO (p = 0.001), with higher-income groups experiencing fewer outages. Other significant factors included hypertension duration, medication source, and monthly treatment costs. Binary logistic regression identified hypertension duration >10 years as the sole predictor of DO.

Conclusion: DO experienced by hypertensive patients are influenced by financial constraints, hypertension duration, and medication sources. Policies ensuring drug affordability—through subsidies, stable supply, and improved patient education—are crucial, especially for long-term hypertensive individuals.