Comprehensive approach to medication-related problems leading to emergency department visits from a gender perspective
Concepción Marín-Barcena1,2, Mireia Puig-Campmany3,4, Jesús Ruiz-Ramos4,5, Carmen Carazo-Díaz6, Jorge Vicente-Romero7, Ana Juanes-Borrego4,5, en representación del Grupo Código Medicamento del Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Affiliation of the authors
1Departamento de Farmacología, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain. 2Sociedad Científica de Investigación Biomédica, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 3Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain. 4Institut de Recerca Biomédica de Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau). Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain. 5Servicio de Farmacia Hospitalaria, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain. 6Cátedra de Análisis Estadístico y Big-data. Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), Guadalupe de Maciascoque, Spain. 7Departamento de Farmacología, Fisiología y Medicina Legal y Forense, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Marín-Barcena C, Puig-Campmany M, Ruiz-Ramos J, Carazo-Díaz C, Vicente-Romero J, Juanes-Borrego A, et al. Comprehensive approach to medication-related problems leading to emergency department visits from a gender perspective. Emergencias. 2025;37:186-95
Summary
Objective.
To describe and compare the diagnosis associated with medication-related problems (MRP) that lead to emergency departments visits based on sex and type of culprit drug.
Method.
We conducted a retrospective observational study included 1,611 adult patients who visited the emergency department of a tertiary referral center in Catalonia (Spain) from 2021 through 2022 for MRP. We collected sociodemographic and clinical baseline variables in addition to the diagnosis and drug associated with the MRP that caused the visit to the emergency department based on the medical history at discharge. Data analysis was performed using binomial distribution tests and binary logistic regression models.
Results.
More than 50% of patients who visit the emergency department for MRP are women (95%CI, 55%-60%). Additionally, as age increases, the percentage of women visiting the emergency department rises significantly vs men (P < .001). Significant differences by sex were found in the MRP-related diagnosis and the type of culprit drug. The frequency of women with MRP associated with diarrhea and decreased intestinal motility was higher (P < .001), as well as unintentional drug poisonings (P = .001), hypertension (P = .010), hyponatremia (P < .001), and hypokalemia (P = .001). Women visit the emergency department more than men do regarding MRP associated with drugs acting
on the nervous, cardiovascular, and anti-infective systems (P < .001).
Conclusions.
Results highlight sex differences and justify the need to continue researching to minimize such differences.
