Gerenciamento de medicamentos em desuso devolvidos por pacientes ambulatoriais de um hospital universitário

Resumo

The purpose of this study was to analyze the profile of leftover medicines returned to the pharmacy of the Specialized Component of Pharmaceutical Services at the General Teaching Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, and the profile of their final destination. This was a cross sectional descriptive study based on the collection of the following data: identity of the patient or responsible person, motive for the return and information about the medicine returned to the pharmacy (batch number, expiry date, quantity returned and storage conditions). We analyzed the data collected in response to a structured questionnaire and also assessed the visual appearance of the returned medicines, which were either classified as suitable for reuse by other patients or sent for disposal. Costs related to the medicine returned to the institution were calculated and analyzed. Data collection was performed in July 2011. During this month, the pharmacy received 34 returns, totaling 2149 units of medicine. Of these, 82.4% were intact, 6.0% were thermolabile and only 3.0% had expired, while 76.5% of all medicines were reused. The financial value of all returned items was R$ 5,759.90 and the total savings from the reuse of medicines represented R$ 4,743.34. Encouragement to return leftover medicine, provided by implementing an effective medication management system, would offer safety to the patient and environment and financial savings for the health system. For this reason, the healthcare team should be able to give advice on correct storage, to ensure integrity and quality of the active moiety, favoring an optimal therapeutic outcome for those patients who will reuse them.

Descrição

Palavras-chave

Gerenciamento de resíduos, Assistência farmacêutica, Uso de medicamentos, Waste management, Drug utilization, Pharmaceutical services

Citação

PRIMO, Lilian Pereira et al. Gerenciamento de medicamentos em desuso devolvidos por pacientes ambulatoriais de um hospital universitário. Revista de Ciências Farmacêuticas Básica e Aplicada, Araraquara, v. 35, n. 2, p. 263-269, 2014.