Desenvolvimento de indicadores de qualidade da prescrição médica em atenção primária de saúde em Fortaleza-Ce, 2008

Abstract

The medical prescription is the main determinant of the use of medicines and contributes to the effectiveness of the health care, offences related to medicines and for the public costs in health. The evaluation of the quality of the prescription has been considered as a strategy to achieve its improvement. OBJECTIVE: Develop and test indicators of quality of the medical prescription (IQP) in primary health care (PHA) in the municipal district of Fortaleza-CE. METHODOLOGY: Revision of the literature in bases of indexed data. Selection, adaptation and listing of IQP; invitation sent to the doctors of PHA and material distribution for critical reading; consensus workshop with doctors using technique of the informal consensus (TIC); application of agreed indicators to a sample of the prescriptions in PAH in Fortaleza in the period of January to February 2008. 99 IQP were identified in the literature, of which 43 were excluded according to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. The others were adapted to the reality investigated and the objectives of the study resulting in 59 indicators that were classified into two groups: indicators of processes of the general prescription (10) and targeted drug indicators (49). An explanatory text added of a list of IQP was distributed to prescribers 7 days in advance and brought to discussion groups, followed of full consensus, moderated by the researchers. RESULTS: Seventeen prescribers had participated of the consensus (9 women), average age 38 years. Among these, 35.29% graduated between 1999 and 2007. Six of them were preceptors (3 masters) and 11 residents in family medicine (6 experts). The average performance in the public service was 10 years. During the session, the consensus group decided to accept all IQP pre-selected and added six more. The indicators of the general aspects of the prescription was simple to calculate and interpret, while indicators targeted drug showed greater difficulties due to lack of technical requirements in the prescription that hampered the implementation. However after applying the IQP was possible to know the profile of the medical prescription in Fortaleza. The indicators were applied to a sample of prescriptions (N = 624, being 30 per health unit), involving 1,582 items of prescribed drugs and an average of 2.52 drugs per prescription. 87% of prescribed drugs were the standard list of the municipality, the paracetamol as being the most frequent drug. The prescription by generic denomination occurred in 90.6% of cases. 2.1% of prescriptions had injected drugs or psychotropics and 8.3% of prescriptions were unjustifiable. On average the cost per prescription was R $ 2.40. The prevalence of treatment groups was analyzed: 22.8% - antihypertensives, 8.81% - platelet aggregation inhibitor, 6.57% - antidiabetics, 8.17% - antiulcer, 27.08% - analgesics, 22.25 % - antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Through the TCI it was possible to devise a system of indicators able to evaluate the prescription in APS. These IQP will support the professional pharmacist to conduct periodic assessments and to plan necessary interventions, in order to improve prescribe aiming at the benefit of patients.