Utilização de medicamentos por idosos: uma reflexão para as ações educativas em saúde.

Abstract

lntroduction: In recent decades the elderly population has grown ata fast pace world. Brazil follows this trend with approximately 14.5 million seniors corresponding 9.1% o f the general population, and are projected to reach that statistic for 2025 to exceed more than 30 million seniors. Demographic and epidemiologicaJ transitions constitute a progressive phenomenon, whose chronic diseases are an important risk factor for the indiscriminate use of medicines by this audience, making them more susceptible to adverse reactions, side effects and drug interactions. Objective: To evaluate the use of drugs by elderly rcsidents in the urban arca of Cuité- PB. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional, exploratory-descriptive-observational and quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 100 elderly user o f the municipality of Cuité Family Health Strategy, whose data were presented descriptively in the form of graphs and tables and analyzed by the literature. The work was approved by the Ethics and Research of the University Hospital Alcides Carneiro (HUAC). Results: Most of the elderly patients aged 70-79 years (42%), female (71%), white (56%), married (36%) and family income below the poverty levei (82%). Regarding clinicai aspects disclosed that the elderly population has on average 3 diseases, with cardiovascular disease (58%) and diabetes mellitus (18%) the most incidcnts. The widespread use of medications by the elderly referred to the class of analgesic and anti-intlammatory (22%) and those pertaining to the cardiovascular system (17%). Most seniors made six or more visits (52%) consumed five or more medications daily (37%) through own funding (52%) andprescription (59%). Most generic drugs are consumed (41%) and had packed correctly (68%). Most seniors did not report the presence of adverse reactions

(65%) and only 35% of them reported having received information about the risks of self- medication and general care medicines. Among the professionals involved in care were

doctors (40%), pharmacists and nurses (25.7%). Conclusion: The unnecessary use of drugs is a common practice in the population in general, however, the old public has become more exposed to this type of practice as well as complications inherent to this excessive consumption. In this sense, it is necessary that professionals can identify educational strategies for health that may suppress unnecessary consumption among the elderly.