Drug-related problems in institutionalized elderly in Brasilia, Brazil

Abstract

Before the world́s elderly population increased, there is growing concern about the use of medicines by the elders. The continuous use of medicines and polypharmacy exposes such patients to the risk of drug-related problems (DRP) and the negative outcomes associated with medication (NOM). This study aims to identify the PRM prevailing in elderly of long-term institutions in Brasilia and correlates it with the socioeconomic and pharmacotherapeutics profile. The research was conducted with 154 elderly residents of five long-term institutions of Brasilia. Data were collected between January to December 2007 through a questionnaire adapted from the Dader method, Pharmacotherapeutic Follow-up. Most of the sample consisted of men with a mean age of 74.6 years, with preserved cognitive status, low educational level and monthly income. The group used an average of four medicines and were cardiovascular and psychotropic agents used most frequently. Three hundred and eighty-one DRP were identified in the group and an average of 2.5 DRP for each elderly. Access difficulty, adherence difficulty, lack of medical prescription knowledge, presence of drugs interactions and self-medication practice were the DRP most frequent in the group. Results suggest that the socioeconomic and morbiditýs profile and the medicines use makes the group more vulnerable to the emergence of DRP and NOM. The monitoring of medicines use and the DRP seems an effective way to decrease the number of these problems and ensure safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy as well as improving quality of life of the elderly.