Pharmaceutical clinical services in basic care in a region of the municipality of São Paulo

Pharmaceutical care has undergone several transformations in the health context over the years. Thus, the pharmacist has suffered a reconfiguration of his performance, mainly with the incorporation of clinical services and patient approach. The study analyzed the results of the implementation of pharmaceutical clinical services in Primary Health Care, through the use of indicators of supply, demand and productivity, clinical and process quality related to pharmaceutical care. We included all the clinical visits (n=1,833) performed to 1,080 users in 12 Basic Health Unit facilities from May to November 2016, of which 40.8% (n=748) were consultations in the establishments and 50.2% (n=1,085) home visits. Most patients (73.5%) were referred by team and 17.5% were captured through active search. Of the total workload, 12.5% ​​were dedicated to pharmaceutical consultations and 20.0% to home visits. In total, we identified 3,078 pharmacotherapy-related issues, an average of 2.8 per patient, and 6,882 pharmaceutical interventions were performed, equivalent to 6.3 interventions per patient. The problem with adherence to pharmacotherapy and the intervention of medication counseling were the most found. Results reinforce the importance of pharmaceutical clinical services in identifying the control of the most prevalent health conditions and monitoring the therapeutic results associated with drug use

Quality indicators of pharmacists' services in community pharmacies in Paraná State, Brazil

ABSTRACT Pharmacists and their pharmacies have been evolving in their roles as health promoters in Brazil. Some examples are the recent legislation reaffirming the role of Brazilian pharmacies as health institutions, rather than having only a commercial profile, giving greater clarity to pharmacists about their roles as health care providers. This evolution came with the recognition that is already seen in other developed countries, confirming the need for the pharmacist as a health promoter, and not simply a dispenser of drugs in society. This study has obtained the profile and activities of community pharmacists, as well as the quality indicators of private community pharmacies throughout the State of Paraná through the application of an online survey sent to pharmacists in the state. Out of all pharmacists surveyed, 533 were part of the final analysis, being the pharmacists to complete the survey in full. Participants were mostly female (69.4%) and were, on average, 35.2 ± 9.2 years old. Of these, 60% worked in pharmacy chains and just 37% of all pharmacist respondents were issuing the Declaration of Pharmaceutical Services. The current study showed that many pharmaceutical services are not adopted by pharmacies as these services bring no significant financial reward. Regarding the structure, the Paraná State showed that pharmacies present a good overall structure. The kind of pharmacy (chain or independent) influenced the pharmaceutical services provided and the available structure, where the independent pharmacies provide a wider range of services and have better structure. This study was able to identify the profile and behaviors of pharmacists and also the quality indicators of pharmacies in Paraná State.

Clinical outcomes of medication therapy management services in primary health care

ABSTRACT This study evaluates whether the integration of pharmacists into health-care teams through the delivery of pharmaceutical care-based medication therapy management (MTM) services can improve the clinical outcomes of patients with chronic health conditions in the primary health-care setting. A retrospective descriptive study of 92 outpatients assisted by MTM pharmacists in primary health-care units was carried out over 28 months (median follow-up: 05 months). Patients were followed up by MTM pharmacists, with a total of 359 encounters and a ratio of 3.9 encounters per patient. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia was 29.5%, 22.0% and 19.4%, respectively. There was a high prevalence of drug-related problems with a ratio of 3.4 per patient. Pharmacists performed a total of 307 interventions to prevent or resolve drug-related problems. With regard to control of the most prevalent chronic medical conditions, a high percentage of patients reached their therapy goals by the last encounter with the pharmacist: 90.0% for hypertension, 72.3% for diabetes mellitus and 90.3% for dyslipidaemia. MTM services provided by pharmacists resolved drug therapy problems and improved patients' clinical outcomes. This study provides evidence for health-care managers of the need to expand the clinical role of pharmacists within the Brazilian public health-care system.

Pharmaceutical services and health promotion: how far have we gone and how are we faring? Scientific output in pharmaceutical studies

The objective of this study was to investigate the scientific output on health promotion within the pharmaceutical field and its relation with the development of pharmaceutical services within health systems. A comprehensive review of published scientific articles from the Medline and Lilacs databases was carried out. The review comprised articles published until December 2011, and used combinations of the terms 'health promotion' or 'health education' and 'pharmacy', 'pharmacist' or 'pharmaceutical'. The articles were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 170 full texts and 87 indexed abstracts were analyzed, evidencing that most described actions of health promotion in community pharmacies and other services. Following the Ottawa Charter, most of the studies dealt with new guidance of the service and the supply of pharmaceutical information and services. It was concluded that there is a lack of theoretical background on health promotion in the pharmaceutical field to sustain the professional education and practice required by the health system and the population.

O objetivo do estudo foi investigar a produção científica sobre o desenvolvimento teórico e prático da promoção da saúde na farmácia e sua relação com o desenvolvimento da área e dos serviços farmacêuticos. A revisão integrativa de artigos científicos foi realizada a partir das bases de dados Medline e Lilacs. Ela compreendeu os artigos publicados até dezembro de 2011, através da combinação dos termos 'promoção da saúde ou educação em saúde' e 'farmácia, farmacêutico ou farmacêutica'. Critérios de inclusão e exclusão definiram a seleção dos textos. Ao todo, 170 artigos e 87 resumos foram analisados, sendo a maioria identificada como trabalhos teóricos que relatam atividades descritas como de promoção da saúde em farmácias comunitárias ou outros serviços. Confrontando com o referencial da Carta de Ottawa, a maioria dos estudos revelou ter como campo de investigação principal alguma proposição de reorientação dos serviços de saúde e oferta de informações e práticas farmacêuticas. Conclui-se que há uma carência de embasamento teórico sobre promoção da saúde na área farmacêutica para sustentar a formação e prática profissional, conforme exigido pelo sistema de saúde e pela população.