INTRODUCTION: Drugs represent an essential tool in the decision-making process of services provided by the healthcare industry. In this process, we can attribute great importance to drug policies, which regulate one of the highest expenses in public health services, especially essential medicines. The latter are considered indispensable to attend most of the population assisted by the National Health System and are distributed free of charge. OBJECTIVE: To identify prescription indicators in the City of Ibipora, PR. METHODOLOGY: 3,119 medical prescriptions in General Practice, Pediatrics and Gynecology were analyzed. Prescription indicators proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) were calculated based on these prescriptions, and the drugs prescribed were classified according to the WHO's Anatomical Therapeutical Chemical classification. RESULTS: On average, two drugs were prescribed per medical prescription in the city of Ibipora, PR. Of the total medicines prescribed, 70.2% were prescribed by their generic names. Antibiotics were prescribed in 22.0% of prescriptions. Injectable drugs were prescribed in 7.0% of medical prescriptions; 58.4% of medicines prescribed were listed in the municipal list of drugs. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: These results suggest difficulties in introducing policies for essential drugs. In this context, the present indicators can contribute to the creation of policies to redirect pharmaceutical services, thus promoting improved access, and a more rational use of drugs.
Drugs; Primary Health Care; Prescription indicators; Health services
