Drug Prescription Misuse among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at a Health Facility in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Misuse of prescription drugs by pregnant women has become a major public health challenge in developing and developed countries due to its detrimental effects on the health of the mother and unborn child. This study aimed to identify prescription drug misuse among pregnant women seeking antenatal care at Presbyterian Hospital, Dormaa Ahenkro, in the Dormaa Central Municipality of Ghana.

Methods: This study used a healthcare facility-based cross-sectional descriptive design to recruit 235 pregnant women using a simple random sampling technique and by administering a structured questionnaire face-to-face with respondents to solicit data. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 26, the results were presented descriptively and inferentially using tables and graphs and a P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The study found that the prevalence of prescription drug misuse among pregnant women in the municipality was 32.8% and the most commonly misused drugs were acetaminophen (52.8%), antimalarial (21.4%) and antibiotics (9.4%). Factors such as trimester of pregnancy (X2=12.9, p=0.002), and history of urinary tract infection (X2=6.11, p=0.013) were associated with drug prescription abuse. In addition, employment status (X2= 13.1, p = <0.001) produced a strong association with prescription drug misuse.

Conclusion: The study concluded that pregnant women in the municipality misused prescribed drugs, which has serious health implications for the mother and the unborn child.