OBJECTIVE To analyze the prevalence and associated factors regarding the use of medicines by self-medication in Brazil.METHODS This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted using data from the PNAUM (National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines), collected between September 2013 and February 2014 by interviews at the homes of the respondents. All people who reported using any medicines not prescribed by a doctor or dentist were classified as self-medication practitioners. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (Poisson regression) and their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated in order to investigate the factors associated with the use of self-medication by medicines. The independent variables were: sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions and access to and use of health services. In addition, the most commonly consumed medicines by self-medication were individually identified.RESULTS The self-medication prevalence in Brazil was 16.1% (95%CI 15.0–17.5), with it being highest in the Northeast region (23.8%; 95%CI 21.6–26.2). Following the adjusted analysis, self-medication was observed to be associated with females, inhabitants from the North, Northeast and Midwest regions and individuals that have had one, or two or more chronic diseases. Analgesics and muscle relaxants were the therapeutic groups most used for self-medication, with dipyrone being the most consumed medicines. In general, most of the medicines used for self-medication were classified as non-prescriptive (65.5%).CONCLUSIONS Self-medication is common practice in Brazil and mainly involves the use of non-prescription medicines; therefore, the users of such should be made aware of the possible risks.

ObjectiveTo describe self-reported drug use by the elderly, evaluating the occurrence of polypharmacy and the influence of sociodemographic and health conditions on the use of medications. Methods A cross-sectional study comprising a sample of 215 elderly was carried out in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, in 2001 and. Data on the use of medications were collected using questionnaires filled out during home visits. Drugs were classified according to the Anatomical-Therapeutical-Chemical Classification System. Results Of all respondents, 141 (66%) were women, 117 (54%) aged between 60 and 70 years old, 157 (73%) were white, 115 (53%) lived with a partner, and 145 (67%) had some schooling. The prevalence of the use of medications by the elderly was 91% (n=195). In the week previous to the interview, 697 drugs were used, an average of 3.2 drugs per person (SD= 2.5). A total of 187 (87%) subjects had attended at least one medical visit in the last year and 71 (33%) confirmed the use of over-the-counter drugs. Polypharmacy was evidenced in 57 (27%) cases. ConclusionsThere is a pattern of increased drug use by the elderly aged 60 years or more who lives in the study community and slight differences were determined by their health conditions and socioeconomic factors.

OBJECTIVE:To analyze the reliability and performance of the Portuguese version of questionnaires used to evaluate adherence to hypertensive treatment. METHODS:Hypertensive patients attending a primary healthcare unit in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, from January to September 2010, were randomly selected (n = 206). To evaluate adherence, Portuguese versions of the Morisky-Green test (MGT) and the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) were used. The analysis considered internal consistency, temporal stability and performance compared to three gold standards, which are: inadequate control of blood pressure (BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg); insuffi cient rate of medication acquisition at the institution's pharmacy (<80%) and a combination of both factors. RESULTS:Of the patients studied, 97 only used medications dispensed by the Basic Health Unit. The tests showed good internal consistency by Cronbach's α: BMQ 0.66 (95%CI 0.60 to 0.73) and the MGT 0.73 (95%CI 0.67 to 0.79). The BMQ Regimen Screen had a sensitivity of 77%, specifi city of 58%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.70 (95%CI 0.55 to 0.86); for MGT sensitivity was 61%, specifi city 36% and area under the ROC curve 0.46 (95%CI 0.30 to 0.62). The correlation between the BMQ and the MGT was r=0.28, p> 0.001. Low adherence per the BMQ is associated with higher blood pressure levels when compared to adherent patients (148.4 [SD 20.1] vs 128.8 [SD 17.8]; p <0.001), but not for the MGT. CONCLUSIONS:The BMQ showed better performance than the MGT, with greater sensitivity and specifi city. Evaluation of adherence may help clinicians discriminate between inadequate use of medication and insuffi cient treatment regimen.

OBJECTIVE To analyze variations in the prevalence of chronic use of medicines by older adults in Brazil according to its possible association with the most prevalent chronic diseases and demographic and health factors, and to identify risk factors for polypharmacy.METHODS A study based on data from the National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines (PNAUM), a cross-sectional, population-based survey with probability sampling in Brazilian urban areas. The independent variable was the number of chronic-use medicines taken by older adults, linked to eight chronic diseases investigated. The intervening variables were gender, age group, marital status, level of education, socioeconomic status, Brazilian region, body mass index, smoking, self-perceived health, hospitalization in the previous year and having health insurance, besides the investigated chronic diseases. A multivariable analysis identified risk factors for polypharmacy.RESULTS Prevalence of at least one chronic-use medicines among older adults was 93.0%. Of the total number of older adults, 18.0% used at least five medications (polypharmacy). Polypharmacy was higher among the oldest individuals (20.0%), in the South region (25.0%), in those with poor self-perceived health (35.0%), in obese individuals (26.0%), in those with reported health insurance (23.0%) or hospitalization in the previous year (31.0%), and among those who reported any of the investigated diseases, particularly diabetes (36.0%) and heart diseases (43.0%). The variables remaining in the final risk model for polypharmacy were age, region, perceived health, health insurance, hospitalization in the previous year and all investigated diseases except stroke.CONCLUSIONS Older adults with specific diseases have risk factors for polypharmacy modifiable by actions aimed at the rational use of medicines. With the current population aging and successful drug access policy, the trend is an increase in drug use by older adults, which should feature as a priority in the planning agenda of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).

OBJECTIVE To analyze factors associated with low adherence to drug treatment for chronic diseases in Brazil.METHODS Analysis of data from Pesquisa Nacional sobre Acesso, Utilização e Promoção do Uso Racional de Medicamentos (PNAUM - Brazilian Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines), a population-based cross-sectional household survey, based on a probabilistic sample of the Brazilian population. We analyzed the association between low adherence to drug treatment measured by the Brief Medication Questionnaire and demographic, socioeconomic, health, care and prescription factors. We used Poisson regression model to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, their respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI) and p-value (Wald test).RESULTS The prevalence of low adherence to drug treatment for chronic diseases was 30.8% (95%CI 28.8-33.0). The highest prevalence of low adherence was associated with individuals: young adults; no education; resident in the Northeast and Midwest Regions of Brazil; paying part of the treatment; poor self-perceived health; three or more diseases; reported limitations caused by a chronic disease; using five drugs or more.CONCLUSIONS Low adherence to drug treatment for chronic diseases in Brazil is relevant, and regional and demographic differences and those related to patients’ health care and therapy regime require coordinated action between health professionals, researchers, managers and policy makers.

Lack of information on medication is one of the main reasons why

OBJECTIVE To analyze the access to medicines to treat non-communicable diseases in Brazil according to socioeconomic, demographic, and health-related factors, from a multidimensional perspective.METHODS Analysis of data from the National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines (PNAUM), household survey, sampling plan by conglomerates with representativeness of the Brazilian population and large areas of the country, according to sex and age domains. Data collected in 2013–2014 with sample of adults (≥ 20 years) who reported having non-communicable diseases and medical indication for use of medicines (n = 12,725). We assessed the prevalence of access to medicines for self-reported non-communicable diseases, considering four dimensions: availability, geographic accessibility, acceptability, and affordability. We applied Pearson’s Chi-square test to assess the statistical significance of the differences between strata, considering the level of significance of 5%. We found prevalence of 94.3%, 5.2%, and 0.5% for full, partial, and null access, respectively. Higher prevalence was observed among seniors in the South compared to the Northeast; for those who reported having one non-communicable disease compared to those who reported having two or more; for those who needed one medicine compared to those who needed three or more; and for those who self-assessed their health as good or very good. Geographic accessibility was similar in the Unified Health System and in the private pharmacies (72.0%). Total availability of medicines was 45.2% in the Unified Health System, 67.4% in the Popular Pharmacy Program, and 88.5% in private pharmacies. Acceptability was 92.5% in the Unified Health System, 97.8% in the Popular Pharmacy Program, and 98.7% in private pharmacies. As to affordability, 2.6% of the individuals failed to take the medicines they should in the 30-day period prior to the interview due to financial difficulty. Prevalence of full access to medicines for non-communicable diseases in Brazil is high and presents significant differences for age group, region of the country, number of non-communicable diseases, and for medicines prescribed and self-assessment of health. The major barriers to access to medicines were identified in the dimensions analyzed.

OBJECTIVETo assess factors associated with low adherence to pharmacotherapy in older adults.METHODSCross-sectional population-based study, with a representative sample of 1,593 individuals aged 60 or older, living in the urban area of Bagé, RS, Southern Brazil, in 2008. A multiple stage sampling model was used. The data were collected through individual household interviews. The analyses of the association between low adherence regarding pharmacotherapy, measured using the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ), and demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, health, assistance and prescription factors were carried out applying Poisson regression model to assess crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, their respective 95% confidence intervals and p-value (Wald test).RESULTSAround 78.0% of individuals reported have taken at least one medication in the seven days prior to the interview. Of these, approximately one third (28.7%) were considered to have low adherence to the treatment. The factors significantly associated to low adherence to treatment were: age (65 to 74 years old), not having health insurance, having to purchase (totally or partially) their own medicines, having three or more morbidities, having functional disabilities and using three or more medicines.CONCLUSIONSThe increased use of medicines by older adults, because of the high prevalence of non-communicable diseases in this group, and the access to the treatment need to be considered by health care professionals regarding fostering adherence to treatment, which increases therapeutic solutions and quality of life among older people.