INAPPROPRIATE DRUG FOR ELDERLY IN FAMILY HEALTH STRATEGIES

Authors

  • Patricia Huffenbaecher Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Campus de Araraquara
  • Fabiana Rossi Varallo Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de MEsquita Filho"
  • Patrícia de Carvalho Mastroianni Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de MEsquita Filho"

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23901/1679-4605.2012v8n3p56-67

Keywords:

Elderly. Potentially inadequate drugs. Safety management. Family health program.

Abstract

The ageing process can change the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics parameters. Therefore, some medications are considered potentially inappropriate (PIM) for the elderly people, since they can increase the likelihood of occurrence of adverse drug events. The objectives are to estimate the frequency of use of PIM in the elderly people, with potentially hazardous drug interactions (PHDI) and to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical intervention (PI) for the prescription of safer therapeutic alternatives.  A cross-sectional study was performed in a Health Family Strategy (region of Araraquara, SP), between January and February/2012. The medical records of patients aged ?60 years, that use at least one drug, were consulted for identification of PIM, according to the Beers criteria. The MPI identified were classified considering the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC) and the essentiality of the drug (safety, effectiveness, quality and cost parameters) The inclusion criteria were met by 358 elderly, being that 93 of them (26%) had taken at least one PIM. Of the 114 different drugs prescribed for elderly, ten were classified as PIM, of which four of them act on the central nervous system, four on cardiovascular system and two on the digestive tract. Seven MPI are essential medicines, belonging to national list of essential drugs (RENAME-2010). Fourteen drug interactions were identified, of which two are PHDI (fluoxetine/amitriptyline and digoxin/hydrochlorothiazide).After the PI, there was no change in medical prescriptions of patients with PIM use or with DI. Medical prescriptions of elderly attended in the Health Family Strategy show pharmacotherapeutic safety problems, of which may be responsible for health hazardous for this age group. Although the intervention carried out by letter had been ineffective for the adherence of doctors in prescribing safe alternatives, wide dissemination of the lists that contain PIM and PHDI is need, as well as the inclusion of safer equivalents in RENAME, in order to contribute for rational use of drugs.

Author Biographies

  • Patricia Huffenbaecher, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Campus de Araraquara
    Enfermeira e aluna do Curso de Especialização de Saúde Pública da FCFAR-UNESP.
  • Fabiana Rossi Varallo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de MEsquita Filho"

    Farmacêutica-Bioquímica pela FCFAR-UNESP, aluna de doutorado do Programa de Ciências Farmacêuticas da FCFAR-UNESP e mestre pelo mesmo programa. Atua na linha de gerenciamento de risco de tecnologias em saúde, com ênfase em farmacovigilância hospitalar.

  • Patrícia de Carvalho Mastroianni, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de MEsquita Filho"
    Doutora em Ciências da Saúde pela Unifesp, com
    estágio  de  pós  doutorado  em  Farmácia  Socia l  pela  Universidade de Sevilla, professora assitente doutora da FCFAR-UNESP do departamento de fármacos e medicamentos. Atua na área de farmácia social (saúde coletiva), com os temas: uso racional de medicamentos, legislação farmacêutica, farmácia hospitalar, propaganda de medicamentos e farmacovigilância.

Published

2012-11-26

Issue

Section

Artigos