Cogitare Enfermagem (Mar 2016)
CHARACTERIZATION OF MEDICATION USE AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE ATTENDED AT A FAMILY HEALTH CARE SERVICE
Abstract
The objective was to characterize medication use among elderly people attended at a Family Health Care Service. A cross-sectional and descriptive study was undertaken, involving 134 elderly, between August and November 2014, at a Primary Health Care Service in the city of Tejuçuoca-Ceará. Interviews were held with the elderly, containing information about the sociodemographic characteristics, the self-referred non-transmissible chronic conditions and medication use. The data were analyzed descriptively using EpiInfo versão 7. and R v2. 10.0. In the study population, multiple drug therapy prevailed (82.1%). The most referred chronic conditions were arterial hypertension (59.1%) and diabetes mellitus (25.2%). In conclusion, knowing the drug administration practices and their characteristics in the elderly is essential for the health professionals to advise this population on the correct use of the drugs.
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