Role of Clinical Pharmacist in Determining Tobacco and Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Its Repercussions in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Tobacco and alcohol consumption are the two unhealthy behaviors which often begin during adolescence. They remain one of the main preventable causes of ill-health and socio-economic burden in the society. This study mainly aims at determining the tobacco and alcohol consumption patterns, there interdependence on each other and their interactions with drugs and enumerating diseases and co-morbidities and clinical pharmacist role in providing patient education and counselling regarding their unhealthy behaviors and creating awareness on these habits and related economic burden on patients. A cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital among 250 patients for 6 months. Data was collected from patients by WHO tobacco consumption questionnaire, CAGE tool, FAST + AUDIT tool and Kuppuswamy socio-economic scale through interviewing each subject. The majority of the patients (24.8%) were in age group of 41-50 years. Males are more prone to these habits (96.4%). Most common age of initiation of these habits are 21-30 years. Most commonly affected system was accessory organs 75 (30%) and 46% of the patients are suffering from co-morbidities. A total of 121 (48.4%) prescriptions have drug interactions with social habits. 71% of the patients are suffering from occupational or financial stress. 244 (97.6%) patients are experiencing interdependence of these habits. Majority of the patients (95.2%) are of low economic status experiencing economic burden due to these habits. Clinical pharmacist main provision is providing care to individual patients by patient counselling, regarding the repercussions of these social habits and creating awareness to the patients.