Adequação da prescrição de medicamentos na Atenção Primária à Saúde de Ribeirão Preto-SP: estudo transversal

Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to comparatively analyze drug prescriptions from the traditional basic health care service (Basic Health Units - BHU) with those from Family Health Strategy (FHS). Methods: A total of 1053 prescriptions were included, allocated in two groups: 932 from BHU and 121 from FHS. These prescriptions were analyzed according with compliance to legally required items and quality indicators (presence of antimicrobials, presence of injectable, use of the official name, use of the list of essential drugs, average of drugs prescribed). Results: The ESF prescriptions were more complete regarding the presence of the prescriber’s address (82.6% BHU, 96.7% FHS), the absence of erasures and overwritten words (90.3% BHU, 96.7% FHS) and with compliance to legally required items related to use of drugs, being: pharmaceutical form (70.7% BHU, 80.2% FHS), dose (70.9% BHU, 79.3% FHS), posology (63.0% BHU, 75.2% FHS), administration route (58.3% BHU, 83.5% FHS) and time of therapy (76.9% BHU, 92.6% FHS). The results of the indicators of quality of prescription are approximated in both models of basic attention and according to the recommended values, with the exception of the average of drugs prescribed, which showed a tendency to polypharmacy at county (3.9 drugs per prescription at the BHU and 3.5 at the FHS). Conclusion: although the results reveal inappropriate practices in drug prescription at Primary Health Care services as a whole, there are evidence that prescriptions from FHS are closer to the ideal pattern, which may favor the Rational Use of Drugs.