Polypharmacy in elderly patients: Treatment adherence

• Autor(a) principal: Sousa, Salete
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Pires, Ana, Conceição, Cláudia, Nascimento, Tânia, Grenha, Ana, Braz, Luis
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v27i2.10838
• topic: Adesão à Terapêutica; Idoso Polimedicado; Polimedicação; Medication Adherence; Elderly; Polypharmacy

Introduction: In recent decades, the number of elderly people has increased significantly in western societies, resulting in a high prevalence of chronic diseases and, therefore, in increased polypharmacy. In addition, established therapies are frequently complex, many times leading to therapeutic incompliance, which comprises a frequent therapeutic-related problem that may prejudice the treatment outcome. Objectives: To evaluate the levels of adherence to therapy in people over 60 years who evidence polypharmacy, identifying the factors affecting adherence levels. Methodology: Population-based, transversal and exploratory study, by questionnaire application. Sample: 51 polymedicated individuals (minimum four prescribed medicines) from a daily center located in the city of Olhão, with minimum age of 60 years. Diagnostic of, at least, one pathology treated since a minimum of six months. Assessed variables: social-demographic data, administration difficulties and amount of medicines administered daily. Results: The sample was composed of approximately 70% female and 30% male, with ages between 64 and 98 years (mean of 80 years). It was observed that all the individuals were adherent to therapy, although with different adherence levels, 94% of the whole sample being completely or very adherent to the therapy. Amongst all the studied variables, it was found that only marital status and oblivion, as a problem associated to therapy administration, affected adherence levels. The results allowed concluding that, with high probability, the fact that the elderly people were at a daily centre, led to higher therapeutic adherence.