No abstract

In many parts of the world, numerous outbreaks of pertussis have been described despite high vaccination coverage. In this article we report the epidemiological characteristics of pertussis in Brazil using a Surveillance Worksheet. Secondary data of pertussis case investigations reported from January 1999 to December 2008 recorded in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN) and the Central Laboratory for Public Health (LACEN-MS) were utilized. The total of 561 suspected cases were reported and 238 (42.4%) of these were confirmed, mainly in children under six months (61.8%) and with incomplete immunization (56.3%). Two outbreaks were detected. Mortality rate ranged from 2.56% to 11.11%. The occurrence of outbreaks and the poor performance of cultures for confirming diagnosis are problems which need to be addressed. High vaccination coverage is certainly a good strategy to reduce the number of cases and to reduce the impact of the disease in children younger than six months.

Objective: To characterize drug prescriptions in a university hospital adult intensive care unit.

The vertical HIV transmission rate has increased over the years and the recommended interventions have not been fully adopted. HIV-infected pregnant women need adequate prophylactic measures in prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum, requiring greater integration among health professionals.

INTRODUCTION: Medication reconciliation is the process of comparing the most accurate list of all medications that a patient is taking with the list of prescription drugs within the healthcare system while considering the patient’s allergies and history of side effects. OBJECTIVES: To reconcile medication upon the patients’ admission to a university hospital in the municipality of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. METHOD: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2018 and May 2019 at the medical clinic unit of an university hospital. Discrepancies observed between the prescription and the best possible medication history were classified as intentional discrepancy; undocumented intentional; and unintentional. RESULTS: A total of 1,134 discrepancies were found between home-based drugs and those prescribed upon admission to the MCU. Among the discrepancies, 815 (72%) were intentional, 89 (8%) were undocumented intentional, and 230 (20%) were unintentional. The number of consultation sources and the number of medicines in use at home showed significant correlation with the occurrence of unintentional discrepancies (p = 0.039 and p = 0.008, respectively). A total of 318 pharmaceutical interventions were performed, 230 related to unintended discrepancies. Of these, 138 (60%) interventions were not accepted. CONCLUSION: The study verified the high frequency of drug omission, conferring treatment interruption and the need for pharmaceutical assistance of polymedicated patients.