Drug use by elderly inpatients of a philanthropic hospital

Abstract

The high incidence of chronic diseases in the elderly leads to increased intermittent drug therapies. The presence of concomitant diseases and prescriptions made out by various health professionals facilitate the practice of polypharmacy, the emergence of iatrogenic diseases, and therapeutic regimens that are inconvenient for patients. The present study was carried out among elderly patients hospitalized at the Hospital Care Foundation of Paraiba, Campina Grande, with the objectives of studying the consumption of drugs by these patients, noting the possible adverse drug reactions (ADR), drug interactions and the presence of high-risk drugs prescribed to this age group. The study had a descriptive and cross-sectional quantitative design and involved a sample of 65 patients accompanied by the Pharmacovigilance Centre of the hospital, from August 2009 to July 2010. Over 90% of the patients were on polypharmacy, and the possible ADR found were related to the gastrointestinal tract where the most frequent interactions were with cardiovascular drugs. Within the context of pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacists can contribute by improving the quality of life of patients and preventing unnecessary expense with erroneous and poorly evaluated treatments.