A relação dos idosos com seus medicamentos

• Ano de defesa: 2011
• Autor(a) principal: Reis, Cristine dos
• Orientador(a): Bós, Ângelo José Gonçalves
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre
• Palavras-chave em Português: MEDICINA; GERONTOLOGIA BIOMÉDICA; GERIATRIA; MEDICAMENTOS; ENVELHECIMENTO; SAÚDE DO IDOSO; QUALIDADE DE VIDA
• Link de acesso: http://hdl.handle.net/10923/3570

Introduction: according to estimates provided by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), 13. 5% of Southern Brazilian population is formed by 60- year-old or older people. Aging is followed by an increase in the prevalence of chronic and incapacitating diseases and a change of paradigm in public health. The use of several medications is related to an improvement in the control of these diseases. This fact corroborates the observation that elderly people represent the age group with a wider utilization of medications within society. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are among the most prevalent diseases in this population and account for most medications consumed. In this context, two phenomena are extremely important: polypharmacy and self-medication. These two phenomena may lead to the practice of home storage of medications, a very common practice in Brazil, however, few studies tried to understand the causes of these phenomenons and how the elderly faces them. Objectives: this study aims to understand the meaning of medications for the elderly and their comprehension and belief in their therapeutic regimen. It also aims to identify the number of medications stored in elderly peoples’ houses, their origin, and storage, in addition to observing the existence or not of unused or expired medications in these houses, the reasons why they are not being used and, if applicable, where they are disposed. Methodology: it is a qualitative, observational, and non-participatory research. The convenience sample was composed of 8 elderly persons, diabetic and/or hypertensive, living in the city of Dois Irmãos, of both sexes, not institutionalized, aged 60 years or older. The instrument used for data collection was a semi-structured interview, and data analysis was performed through the thematic analysis technique. Results: the presence of self-medication was a form of self-care. The poor knowledge of interviewees about the therapy may be related to the phenomenon of polypharmacy observed among interviewees. The use of alternative therapies was found as a common practice among this population. The bedroom and the kitchen were the preferred places by the interviewees for storing medication in their houses. Unused medications, some expired, were discovered in these places. The interviewees had no information on the right manner of disposing of their medications, discarding them most frequently with the common garbage. The reasons for the maintenance of medications in the houses were various, e. g. the culture of self-medication, “safety” and accessibility. The manner of acquiring the products varied among interviewees: some of them bought them, others received them in healthcare units, and others bought some medications and received others. Another important finding was that many interviewees see their medications as an essential condition for the maintenance of their lives, in addition to providing health and well-being. Some interviewees mentioned that medications allowed their autonomy and socialization. Conclusions: the use of medications was seen as an important instrument for selfcare, preservation of physical independence and autonomy for these individuals. Expired medications, phenomena as self-medication and polypharmacy were present in this population, being of great importance as a preoccupation of public healthcare. However, findings show that elderly people need educational programs on medications in order to improve their understanding of their therapies and avoid the dangers it can bring to their lives.