Sources for obtaining drugs for hypertension in Brazil: results from the National Health Survey, 2013.

Abstract

To analyze the sociodemographic differences among adults with hypertension regarding the sources for obtaining drugs for hypertension treatment in Brazil. This is a secondary analysis of data from the National Health Survey 2013; the outcomes considered for the analysis were the sources for obtaining drugs for treating high blood pressure. The great majority (74%) of patients with hypertension taking drugs use a single source for obtaining them, 7.3% (95%CI 6.4 - 8.4) reported getting all the drugs through private health plans, 22.7% (95%CI 21.0 - 24.4) by pharmacies of the public health system, 21.8% (95%CI 20.2 - 23.4) by the Popular Pharmacy Program, and about one-third (29.5%; 95%CI 27.7 - 31.4) exclusively by commercial pharmacies. Having the public health system as the single source for obtaining the drugs was found to decrease with age, was lower in white people, decreased strongly with increase in education, and was lower for residents in the North region. Exclusive obtainment through the Popular Pharmacy Program was lower for people with higher education. Obtainment in commercial pharmacies was positively associated with being male, with higher education level, being older, and having white skin color. Obtainment using more than one source was positively associated with increasing age and inversely associated with higher education levels. The results allowed the identification of a trajectory of patients in obtaining drugs for the treatment of hypertension, aiming at explaining how the drugs are obtained and the impact of public policies in this sector in the country.