Résumé
Objective: Medication-related errors in patients are among the leading causes of preventable health damage and harm worldwide. In the United States, these errors cause at least one death a day and damage approximately 1.3 million people annually. According to the World Health Organization, the global expenditure on medication-related errors is estimated to be U$ 42 billion per year. In Brazil, the rate of potential drug interactions varies between 28% and 63.6% for primary care patients. The prevalence of drug interactions has increased following an aging population, increased chronic conditions, combined use of different drugs, and increased prescription drugs per patient. Methods: The data used for this study were obtained through the database from Nexodata do Brasil S.A a private health technology company with an electronic prescription system and a data intelligence area. Results: 65,867 electronic prescriptions were evaluated during 2019. Of these, 4,828 prescriptions had an average of 2.5 interactions. These interactive prescriptions were generated by 197 different doctors, totaling 24.5 prescriptions with interaction per doctor over 12 months. A total of 12,005 interactions were identified, 15.6% classified as mild, 70.9% as moderate, and 13.5% as severe. Conclusion: By implementing an electronic prescription tool, a reduction of 32.9% in the number of prescriptions with drug interaction was observed.
Résumé
Introdução: Os erros relacionados à medicação de pacientes estão entre as maiores causas de danos e prejuízos evitáveis à saúde em todo o mundo. Nos Estados Unidos, esses erros causam pelo menos uma morte por dia e causam danos a aproximadamente 1,3 milhão de pessoas anualmente. Segundo a Organização Mundial da Saúde, estima-se que o gasto global com erros relacionados à medicação seja de US$ 42 bilhões por ano. No Brasil, a taxa de interações medicamentosas potenciais varia entre 28% e 63,6% em pacientes de serviços de atenção primária. A prevalência de interações medicamentosas tem aumentado, seguindo o envelhecimento populacional, aumento de condições crônicas, uso combinado de diferentes medicamentos e aumento na quantidade de medicamentos prescritos. Métodos: Os dados utilizados para o presente estudo foram obtidos por meio da base de dados da Nexodata do Brasil S.A., que é uma empresa privada de tecnologia em saúde que possui um sistema de prescrição eletrônica e uma área de inteligência de dados. Resultados: Foram avaliadas 65.867 prescrições eletrônicas durante o ano de 2019; dessas, 4.828 prescrições apresentaram em média 2,5 interações. Essas prescrições com interação foram geradas por 197 médicos diferentes, totalizando um total de 24,5 receitas com interação por médico ao longo de 12 meses. Foi identificado um total de 12.005 interações, sendo 15,6% classificadas como leves, 70,9% como moderadas e 13,5% como graves. Conclusão: Por meio da implementação de uma ferramenta de prescrição eletrônica, foi observada uma redução de 32,9% na quantidade de receitas com interação medicamentosa.
Introduction: Medication-related errors in patients are among the leading causes of preventable health damage and harm worldwide. In the United States, these errors cause at least one death a day and damage approximately 1.3 million people annually. According to the World Health Organization, the global expenditure on medication-related errors is estimated to be U$ 42 billion per year. In Brazil, the rate of potential drug interactions varies between 28% and 63.6% in primary care patients. The prevalence of drug interactions has increased following an aging population, an increase in chronic conditions, combined use of different drugs and an increase in the amount of prescription drugs per patient. Methods: The data used for the present study were obtained through the database of Nexodata do Brasil S.A., which is a private health technology company that has an electronic prescription system and a data intelligence area. Results: 65,867 electronic prescriptions were evaluated during the year 2019, of these, 4,828 prescriptions had an average of 2.5 interactions. These interactive prescriptions were generated by 197 different doctors, totaling a total of 24.5 prescriptions with interaction per doctor over 12 months. A total of 12,005 interactions were identified, 15.6% of which were classified as mild, 70.9% as moderate and 13.5% as severe. Conclusion: Through the implementation of an electronic prescription tool, a reduction of 32.9% in the amount of prescriptions with drug interaction was observed.