Medicine use and risk of drug interactions in elderly people served in the Elderly Care Program from UNIJUÍ

Abstract

Aims: To characterize the medicine use and evaluate the risk of drug interactions in elderly people served in the Elderly Care Program of UNIJUÍ. Methods: The research followed a transversal model with secondary data as collection. The register data were collected in November 2009. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system was used to classify the medicines and the Drug Interaction Facts to classify the interactions. Results: From March 2008 to July 2009, the research has followed 10 elderly women with the mean age is 77.7 years old, who use 43 medicines with prevalence for the cardiovascular system, nervous system and food tract and metabolism. There are 17 possible drug interactions among 4 elderly women, with a mean 4.25. Ferrous sulfate, levodopa and levothyroxine are the medicines involved in three probable interactions each. In relation to the classification level, each possible interaction presents level 1, five level 2, two level 3, four level 4 and five level 5. Conclusions: There was relatively high risk of interactions. Therefore, pharmaceutical intervention is important in the pharmacotherapy of elderly people and must be encouraged with training, teamwork, adapting by genus characteristic.