Assessment of the municipal administration in the promotion of rational use of medicines in medium and large cities in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract:

This article aimed to assess the municipal administration in the promotion of rational use of medicines in cities with 100,000 inhabitants or more in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The study began with the adaptation of an assessment model consisting of 28 indicators, analyzing the development of activities in promotion of rational use of medicines through the educational, structural, administrative, and operational dimensions of pharmaceutical care. Data collection used an online questionnaire, tested and validated, through a virtual platform, sending a link to the respondent’s e-mail address. The value judgment considered the predefined categories in the judgment matrix, oriented by normative parameters, a literature review, and inter-expert agreements. Of the 11 municipalities assessed, four were classified as “fair” and the other as “bad”, presenting deficiencies in the four analytical dimensions. The best result was seen in the administrative dimension. A critical scenario appeared in promotion of rational use of medicines, highlighting deficiencies in training health workers, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of human resources, flaws in patient safety management, and difficulties in the execution of pharmaceutical care. In conclusion, important challenges need to be overcome to guarantee appropriate drug prescriptions, timely access, adequate drug dispensing, and correct use of medication by the population.

Keywords:
Health Evaluation; Health Management; Drug Utilization; Management Indicators