OBJECTIVES: To  determine the incidence and types of emergency department (ED) visits and admissions due to drug related problems (DRPs) in a secondary care hospital, to assess the severity and preventability of these drug related admissions  or visits, and to identify the drugs and patient groups that are most commonly involved. METHODS: Patients (n= 450) were selected randomly from patients presented to the ED during the study period (three month). Patient was eligible to be included if either visited ED or admitted due to DRPs. RESULTS: During the study period, 450 patients presented to ED were randomly selected with a mean age of 47.8 ± 27.7 years. One hundred and twenty of them were females (30%) and 280 were male patients (70%). Of these 450 patients, 38 (8.4%) were presented to ED due to DRPs, and 362 (90.5%) patients were presented to ED due to non-drug related problems (NDRPs). About eighty- four percent (n = 32) of the DRP group were exposed to hospital admission while only 15.7% (n = 6) were ED visits. CONCLUSIONS: Most DRPs attributed to hospital admissions or visits were avoidable. Direct patient contact with pharmacist and physician was beneficial in providing a safe and effective therapy. The study addresses the proper use of medications to ensure the best outcomes of pharmacological interventions.