Abstract
Introduction: The elderly, because they are more susceptible to develop chronic diseases, seek health services and medications more often, which predisposes this population to the problems related to them. Add to this the possibility of illiteracy, which may compromise understanding and lead to incorrect use of the drug. Objective: To evaluate the understanding of drug therapy by the elderly who are in a situation of polypharmacy. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out with individuals ≥ 60 years old who used 2 or more drugs in two communities in Recife-PE, from August to October 2016. The method used followed the principle of analysis, which verifies the agreement between the respondent’s response and the information contained in the medical prescription, and classifies the users through scores: less than six points – level of insufficient understanding; from six to eight – regular; above eight points, good level. Results: The elderly had low levels of schooling, 28% were illiterate. The two communities are made up of 72% and 48% of the elderly with insufficient understanding. Conclusion: The importance of the pharmacist as a member of the multidisciplinary team, who should guide and ensure that information is passed on to the user in a safe and efficient manner, through educational actions that promote knowledge about the use of medicines.
Highlights
The elderly, because they are more susceptible to develop chronic diseases, seek health services and medications more often, which predisposes this population to the problems related to them
The aging process leads to changes in physiological conditions, which causes the elderly to seek more for health services, to be more exposed to hospital admissions and to use multiple medications.[1]
[3] Polypharmacotherapy is a common habit among the elderly, where the complexities of drug regimens increase the difficulties for self-administration of prescribed drugs. Added to this is the lack of understanding, forgetfulness, decreased visual acuity and manual dexterity that occur in the elderly, this event can cause side effects and non adherence to drug therapy. [4]
Summary
The elderly, because they are more susceptible to develop chronic diseases, seek health services and medications more often, which predisposes this population to the problems related to them Add to this the possibility of illiteracy, which may compromise understanding and lead to incorrect use of the drug. The aging process leads to changes in physiological conditions, which causes the elderly to seek more for health services, to be more exposed to hospital admissions and to use multiple medications.[1] They use two to five medications prescribed by doctors, but it is common in the literature to find studies that report prescriptions of inadequate doses, with no therapeutic value and still the practice of selfmedication without accompaniment of a qualified professional. The treatment will only be effective when the patient has the necessary information and follow the guidelines recommended in the professional prescription. [9,10] The elderly should know the dosage, frequency and medications they are using, at a minimum. [11]
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