Cuidados farmacêuticos e os medicamentos isentos de prescrição: uma revisão integrativa da literatura.

Abstract

Nonprescription drugs are widely used to manage self-limited health problems (or minor disorders), deserving special attention in the context of self-medication, with the aim of making it responsible, with a view to achieving self-care. Non-targeted self-medication exposes users to harm to their well-being and causes impacts on health systems. In this context, the pharmacist gains space as the professional trained to care for and educate the population by promoting the rational use of pharmacotherapy through the provision of clinical services, preventing risks linked to poor use of the pharmaceutical input. In view of this, this study will understand the impacts of care, through the pharmacy services in the community pharmacy regarding the use of IPMs, for the management of self-limited health problems. Thus, publications aimed at MIPs were searched from 2013 to 2018, in the databases of PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, CAPES journals, in the English and Portuguese languages. The sample of this research consisted of 29 studies. The results of this review show that pharmaceutical services reduce costs for both patients and health care systems, reduce the number of medical visits and improve quality of life by mitigating potential health risks. Among the factors that induce non-targeted self-medication of nonprescription drugs, the data point to the absence of health education, accessibility to medication, perception of the pharmacist's role in the treatment of self-limiting problems, advertisements, experiences favorable to use, lack of warnings on packaging , among others. The variables that interfere in the quality of the counseling according to the results were time of experience, level of satisfaction with the profession, time of counseling, evidence-based health knowledge, identification as a health professional, medication request form, communication skills, among others. This study contributed to the elaboration of strategies for patient and professional awareness on health conditions management that can be better administered in a responsible and efficient manner in community pharmacies and also to change patient's health search behavior.