Uso de medicamentos potencialmente inapropriados na população idosa institucionalizada

Abstract

This dissertation aimed to investigate the use of inappropriate medicines in the institutionalized elderly. For that, two scientific productions were made. The scientific production I aimed to foment the debate about the use of potentially inappropriate medication in Homes for the Aged. In this production, it was considered as a potentially inappropriate medication the one that offers more risk of damages linked to the use than the benefits for elderly. These, already fragile due to the aging process itself, added to the appearance of chronic and degenerative diseases and aggravated in their emotional and physical aspects by the institutionalization, they have in the use of potentially inappropriate medication a factor of aggravation of their health condition. Since the mid-1980s, there has been concern about the use of these medicines in elderly and the elaboration of criteria that guide the use. Among these criteria, the most widely recognized and used are the Beers Criteria, originally published in 1997 and constantly updated by the American Society of Geriatrics. The last update was made in the year 2015. With the scientific production I it was concluded that the use of potentially inappropriate medication increases the risk of hospitalization, morbidities and even death in the elderly. The scientific production II aimed to evaluate the use of potentially inappropriate medication in elderly living in Homes for the Aged in a medium-sized city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It was a cross-sectional study involving 13 Homes. A questionnaire containing variables related to sociodemographic and health data was used. The defined outcome was the use of potentially inappropriate medication from the Beers Criteria of 2015. The Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the association between the variables. Level of significance was set at 5%. From the sample of 169 elderly that used medicines, 115 (68%) were using potentially inappropriate medication and had a mean age of 77.99 ± 10.20 years, 80 (69.6%) were female and 101 (87.8%) were white. In addition, 65 (56.5%) used medicines from the central nervous system group, with the benzodiazepine class 35 (53.8%), the mineral oil oral class 4 (66.7%) and the Non-steroidal antiinflammatory class 38 (92.7%). In the association between diseases and the use of potentially inappropriate medication only Alzheimer showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.049). The results obtained make possible to affirm that the panorama of the use of potentially inappropriate medication by elderly in Homes for the Aged of the investigated city does not differ from that found in the literature that investigated the theme in other regions of the country, revealing a certain national tendency. At the end of this dissertation, considering the magnitude of the impact that the use of potentially inappropriate medication causes in life of elderly living in Homes for the Aged, it was considered a complex theme, suggesting the realization of new empirical and theoretical investigations on the theme. Also the increase of dissemination of knowledge among health professionals who integrate the teams and provide assistance as well as those who have the power to standardize the health of the elderly in Brazil.