Pharmacoepidemiological survey of middle-age and elderly patients in three communities of Cascavel, PR - Brazil: Progressive verification of their therapeutic knowledge

Abstract

Variables on therapeutic knowledge in pre- and post-intervention periods and the social and demographic characteristics of 80 middle-aged and elderly (45 years or more) patients in three parish communities in Cascavel, PR - Brazil are provided. A pharmacoepidemiological survey was developed; a prospective study between November 2003 and December 2004 was undertaken; data were collected in a semi-structured form. Females (82.5%) were predominant; average age 67.3 years old; schooling less than 8 years; most of them married (57.5%); only the couple inhabits the house (63.7%); income 1 to 3 salaries (80%); mean numbers of prescribed medicines pre- and post-intervention were 4.3 and 3.5, respectively. Medicine for the cardiovascular system (48.2%) was the most described (48.2%). Variables - reading information on drug and its frequency, knowledge on the medicine used and importance of information - were statistically non-significant, although difference in relative frequency from the pre- to the post-intervention period existed. Nevertheless, difference with regard to degree of progress in results shows clinical relevance with a favorable trend towards the benefit/risk ratio.