Situational diagnosis of medication use among the elderly attended at public pharmacies in the city of Veranópolis/RS

Abstract

Objective: To identify the medical and sociodemographic profile and interest in accessing the clinical pharmaceutical services of elderly polymedicated individuals who use public pharmacies in Veranópolis, RS, Brazil, as well as to evaluate their adherence to drug treatment, comparing it among units where there is a pharmacist or not. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 141 patients. A structured questionnaire with sociodemographic and health questions and the Portuguese version of the Brief Medication Questionnaire to analyze the adherence to treatment were used. Results: Of the respondents, 65.2% were female, 46.1% were between 70-79 years old, 90.1% white, 63.1% married, 88.7% retired, 55.3% had incomplete elementary school and 80.9% earned one or two minimal salaries monthly. A total of 58.2% interviewed individuals said that they had never smoked, 68.8% used public and private pharmacies to obtain their medicines and 58.2% practiced self-medication. About the pharmaceutical services, 66.7% of the elderly did not know and 85.8% showed interest in receiving these services. There was a prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (94.3%) and the most prescribed medication was simvastatin, used by 56.0% of the patients. The adherence to treatment classified them as probable adherence (9.2%), probable low adherence (46.8%) and low adherence (44.0%). The variable “presence of the pharmacist in the pharmacy” did not show a significant association (p <0.05) with adherence. Conclusion: Most of the elderly do not adhere to treatment properly and use potentially inappropriate medications, showing the need to improve pharmaceutical care promoting a rational use of medicines.