Seguimiento farmacoterapéutico a pacientes polimedicados / Pharmaceutical care to polimedicated patients

Los servicios profesionales farmacéuticos asistenciales contribuyen a un mejor control de los problemas de salud, sobre todo en pacientes polimedicados, y a una optimización de los recursos sanitarios, lo cual conlleva una menor prescripción de medicamentos y un menor número de visitas a los centros sanitarios. Formaron parte de este estudio 78 pacientes, siendo el sexo femenino el más prevalente, con una edad media 72,49 ± 13,92 años; de ellos, 60 pacientes eran mayores de 65 años y, por tanto, considerados pacientes geriátricos. Fueron incluidos en un servicio de sistemas personalizados de dosificación y, posteriormente, se realizó un seguimiento farmacoterapéutico. Se detectaron 450 problemas relacionados con los medicamentos siendo los más frecuentes los asociados al paciente: falta de conocimiento de uso, mala adherencia terapéutica, errores en la administración…, siendo la probabilidad de presentarlos mayor en el sexo masculino. Asociados a estos problemas con los medicamentos se detectaron 160 resultados negativos asociados a la medicación; solo 5 de ellos no fueron resueltos durante la fase estudio, los más frecuentes fueron los de inefectividad no cuantitativa, es decir, aquellos que no se resuelven con una modificación de la dosis farmacológica sino incluyendo o eliminando otros principios activos. En conclusión, el servicio de sistema personalizado de dosificación precisa de una revisión de la medicación como, por ejemplo, el seguimiento farmacoterapéutico, ya que ambos permiten optimizar el tratamiento de los pacientes polimedicados, así como, un aumento del control de los problemas de salud.(AU)

Professional pharmaceutical care services contribute to better health problem control, especially in polymedicated patients, and to the optimization of health resources, which leads to less medication prescription and fewer visits to healthcare centers. This study included 78 patients, with the female sex being the most prevalent, with an average age of 72.49 ± 13.92 years; of these, 60 patients were over 65 years of age and, herefore, considered geriatric patients. They were included in a personalized medication dispensing service and, subsequently, a pharmacotherapeutic follow-up was carried out. 450 medication-related problems were detected, the most frequent of which were associated with the patient: lack of knowledge of use, poor therapeutic adherence, administration errors, etc., with the probability of presenting them being higher in the male sex. Associated with these medication problems, 160 negative medication-related results were detected; only 5 of them were not resolved during the study phase, the most frequent being those of non-quantitative ineffectiveness, that is, those that are not resolved with a modification of the pharmacological dose but by including or eliminating other active ingredients. In conclusion, the personalized medication dispensing service requires a medication review, such as pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, as both allow the optimization of the treatment of polymedicated patients, as well as an increase in the control of health problems.(AU)

Trends in the Consumption of Antidepressant Drugs before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Canary Islands, Spain: The Case of the Province of Las Palmas.

The use of antidepressants (ADs) has increased significantly as a result of COVID-19 and its consequences. However, there are some notable differences in the relative levels of use between geographical areas and population groups. The aim of this work is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the consumption of ADs in the Canary Islands, focusing on the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, by analyzing the trends in prescriptions of ADs during the pandemic period (2020) compared to the pre-pandemic period (2016-2020). Data were extracted from the community pharmacy wholesaler at a population level. Consumption patterns are expressed as the number of defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitant/day. The overall consumption of DIDs was higher in Gran Canaria, mainly in urban areas and the capital. It was similar in both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, but particularly localized in the capital, which are considered semi-urban areas. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura present the same pattern of prescription ADs use, whereas Gran Canaria is notably different. This finding was also observed in the more consumed active pharmaceutical ingredients, although small inter-island variations in the ranking and percentages were observed. Sertraline and escitalopram are two of the most prescribed N06AB ADs, whereas the most recent N06AX ADs such as venlafaxine, mirtazapine and desvenlafaxine are more commonly prescribed. These differences in prescription ADs can be explained by demographical characteristics, population size, the fact of living in an urban area and general medical practice. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have an impact on the overall trend of the use of ADs between 2016 and 2020 in the islands under study.