Abusive medicine use by elderly in a community of Fortaleza – Ceará

Abstract

The elderly belong to a parcel of the population who need a pharmaceutical attention service with an approach on promoting the rational use of medicines, thus decreasing the Medicine Related Problems (MRP). This was a longitudinal and quantitative study held with 27 elderly of a community from the suburb of Fortaleza - Ceará, Brazil, in the period of August, 2003 to July, 2004. The instrument for data collection consisted of a questionnaire with open and closed questions, being allowed the intervention of the interviewer when necessary. The method applied was adapted from the first step of Dader Method for Pharmacotherapy Follow-up (PTF) and was based on obtaining the patient’s pharmacotherapy history for posterior evaluation of the situation state and the identification and resolution of possible MRP. The results pointed out an excessive use of medicines. In 19 (70.3%) elderly, the routine use of more than one medicine was detected. Arterial hypertension was the most referred illness, affecting 14 (51.8%) of the subjects; three made use of medicines of high risk for elderly people. From this study, we evidenced the need of pharmaceutical attention directed to elderly aiming at a posterior constructing of a situation state and intervening when necessary.