Utilização de fontes de informação sobre medicamentos por farmacêuticos de farmácias e drogarias de trindade/go e região metropolitana

Abstract

Introduction: The presence of drug information sources in pharmacies and drugstores and their use are essential for the pharmacist to provide pharmaceutical clinical services, for example the dispensing, and also to perform other administrative activities aimed at the technical management of medicines. Objective: To characterize the presence and use of sources of information on pharmaceutical drugs in drugstores and pharmacies in a municipality in the metropolitan region of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Methodology: An analytical and quantitative study with prospective data collection on the use of sources of information about drugs by pharmacists in pharmacies and drugstores through the application of a structured questionnaire. The data collection occurred between November 2018 and March 2019 with n=60 establishments. Results: The response rate of the questionnaires was 85% (51), of which 96.1% were drugstores and 3.9% were pharmacies. The majority of pharmacists (60.8%) are female, with age between 24 and 30 years old (60.8%). In 43.1% of the establishments, the pharmacist is the owner too. The source of information on book-type drugs is present in 25.5% of the establishments and the most searched information is about pharmacology (38.5%). The use of drug information sources through the Internet occurs in 98.0% of the establishments and the most searched information is about administration of medications. In relation to the Medication Information Center and Consumer Service, 84.3% and 96.1% of pharmacists reported not using them. Among the obstacles to access to information sources, the lack of time was reported by 94.1% of pharmacists. Conclusions: The lack of knowledge about the sources of drug information and the excess of administrative activities delegated to the pharmacist are elements that hinder the use of these sources for the provision of pharmaceutical clinical services in pharmacies and drugstores.