Polipharmacy and medication non-adherence are problems faced frequently in the treatment of elderly patients. An exploratory cross-sectional study and quantitative approach were conducted to assess the frequency of treatment-adherence in elderly and how polipharmacy can affect adherence. Four hundred and sixty six elderly answered a questionnaire in Porto Alegre, RS in individual interviews. The adherence frequency found was 173 (37.1%) and was higher among those, who use less medication. These results indicate the need for implementing educational programs for the elderly in order to help them to follow their drug therapy.

Psicofármacos na Estratégia Saúde da Família: perfil de utilização, acesso e estratégias para a promoção do uso racional Psychotropic drugs in the Family Health Strategy: profile of use, access and strategies to promote rational use Resumo O uso de psicofármacos está aumentando e no Brasil há poucos estudos investigando seu emprego pela população e na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). Este estudo buscou verificar a prevalência e o padrão de consumo por usuários de uma Unidade de Saúde da Família de Porto Alegre através de um delinemeanto observacional, descritivo, retrospectivo e de corte transversal. A amostra foi composta por usuários que retiraram receitas de medicamentos controlados e os dados coletados a partir do prontuário. Foram incluídos 329 usuários, com prevalência de utilização de psicofármacos de 7,30%, média de idade de 53,14 (DP = 18,58) anos e 72% de indivíduos do sexo feminino. A média de medicamentos e psicofármacos prescritos por usuário foi de 3,56 (DP = 2,36) e 1,66 (DP = 0,90), respectivamente. A classe mais utilizada foi a de antidepressivos, seguida de antiepilé-ticos, ansiolíticos e antipsicóticos. Faz-se necessá-rio elaborar estratégias para melhorar o acesso, tratamento dos usuários e uso racional de psicofármacos, incluindo a revisão das listas de medicamentos essenciais e a capacitação dos profissionais da APS. Palavras-chave Psicofármacos, Saúde da Famí-lia, Atenção Primária à Saúde, Farmacoepidemiologia, Saúde mental Abstract The use of psychotropic drugs is on the increase, and there are few studies in Brazil investigating their use in the population and in Primary Health Care (PHC). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and patterns of psychotropic drug use by patients of a Family Health Unit in Porto Alegre, through an observational, descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of patients who received prescriptions for controlled psychotropic drugs and the data collected from medical records. The study included 329 patients, with prevalence of the use of psychotropic drugs of 7.30%, mean age of 53.14 (SD = 18.58) years and 72% female. The average number of prescribed drugs and psychotropic drugs per user was 3.56 (SD = 2.36) and 1.66 (SD = 0.90), respectively. The most widely used class was antidepressants, followed by antiepileptics, anxiolytics and antipsychotics. It is necessary to develop strategies to improve access, treatment of patients and rational use of psychotropic drugs, including the revision of lists of essential drugs and training of professionals in PHC.

Objetivos: Descrever o processo de elaboração de oficinas de promoção da saúde voltadas a um grupo de convivência para idosos e compartilhar a experiência de uma equipe de residentes multiprofissionais na construção de metodologias para se discutir saúde dentro de grupos. Métodos: Entre 2007 e 2009, a equipe de residentes multiprofissionais acompanhou um grupo de convivência, constituído de aproximadamente quarenta idosos. Foram observadas as principais demandas em saúde a serem trabalhadas junto ao grupo e desenvolvidas oficinas para promoção da saúde. Resultados: Os temas trabalhados nas oficinas foram osteoporose, diabetes mellitus, dislipidemia, planejando o futuro e relações de cuidado. Os residentes construíram materiais didáticos, como cartazes, folders, bolsas coloridas, cartões ilustrativos, que ilustraram os temas abordados de forma lúdica. As oficinas possibilitaram que os participantes fossem agentes ativos no processo de aprendizagem e de fazer saúde, o que pressupõe benefícios à saúde física, mental e social desse grupo.

The elderly population is one of the most rapidly increasing populations in the world. Physiological alterations induced by the aging process make these individuals more susceptible to chronic diseases and, consequently, to increased drug utilization.ObjectiveTo describe the profile of drug utilization in the elderly living in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.MethodsAn observational and cross-sectional population-based study to investigate the characteristics of the population, sources of information and types of drugs used by the elderly was performed. Four hundred and eighty patients were recruited from data supplied by the City Hall of Porto Alegre. The elderly were interviewed individually during the period from January to May 2006 by trained interviewers. A validated pharmacotherapy questionnaire was used for data collection and data were tabulated and analyzed by the SPSS 11.5 computer program.ResultsOf the 480 patients interviewed, 13.8% did not use any medication. Cardiovascular system drugs represented the pharmacological class most used by the elderly (64.0%). When ill, 71.9% of these individuals visited the doctor, while 36.9% self-medicated. For the majority (50.2%), drugs were identified by their labels. Only 41.2% of the elderly understood medical prescriptions and 68.3% of the patients studied obtained the necessary information for the appropriate use of therapy from their doctors.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that a pharmaceutical care program for the treatment, prevention, and use of medications may provide a higher efficiency to elderly drug therapy.

Objective: To identify the possibility of alteration of intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) therapy for ampicillin/sulbactam and cefuroxime in adult patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs), and to describe the profile and consumption of antimicrobials prescribed for these patients. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrospective documentary study based on the analysis of electronic prescriptions and data from the electronic medical record of patients admitted to adult intensive care units in two hospitals, from July to August 2019. The consumption of antimicrobials was measured using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Daily Defined Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology per 100 beds-day. Results: Of the patients admitted to the study units, 23 (5.5%) received ampicillin/sulbactam or cefuroxime; the time of the ampicillin/sulbactam treatment was 7.25 (±2.07) days and, with cefuroxime, 8 (±1.73) days; 3 (13%) of the patients followed were eligible to switch therapy or sequential therapy, there was no physician acceptance of the conversion recommendation. The highest consumption was observed in the penicillins therapeutic group (112.5 DDD/100 beds-day) and meropenem drug (68.8 DDD/100 beds-day). Conclusions: Antimicrobial use is high in ICUs, which can be related to the clinical complexity and to the microbiological profile of the patients. The practice of converting IV antibiotic therapy to PO in critically ill patients was not present in this study; however, its use can contribute to patient safety.