[The long-term record card, instrument for evaluating prolonged treatments]
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M P Arroyo Aniés1, F Cortés Ugalde, J J Cariñanos Chavaque
1Centro de Salud de Chantrea, Pamplona.
Insights
This study assessed the quality of extended drug treatments in primary care. While many medications were appropriate, 35% of patients had potential drug interactions, highlighting a need for prescriber education.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacotherapy
- Primary Health Care
- Medication Quality Assessment
Context:
- Chantrea Health Centre (Pamplona) serves an urban population.
- Long-term treatment records were examined to evaluate medication quality.
- A descriptive crossover study design was employed.
Purpose:
- To assess the quality of extended drug treatments recorded on medical cards.
- To identify potential areas for improvement in medication management within primary care.
Summary:
- A review of 370 record cards revealed an average of 2.93 drugs per person, with higher usage in individuals over 65.
- Key quality indicators showed 78% of medicines aligned with the Primary Care Guide, 83% were orally administered, and 79.5% of patients took a single drug.
- However, 22.7% of records showed concomitant medication, and 35% indicated potential drug interactions.
Impact:
- Findings suggest an acceptable therapeutic level but highlight a significant prevalence of potential drug interactions.
- Emphasizes the need for primary care teams to collaboratively review prescriptions.
- Recommends a training program for local physicians to enhance prescribing practices and patient safety.
Objective:
To find out the quality of extended treatments as recorded on the long-treatment medical record cards of the users of Chantrea Health Centre (Pamplona).
Design:
This was a descriptive crossover study. SITE. An urban Primary Care centre.
Patients Or Others Participants:
The record cards filled in by registered nurses and physicians during one week in May 1990 were chosen. No prior notice was given to the rest of the team. Overall, 370 record cards were studied.
Main Measurements And Results:
The average of drugs per person is 2.93 + 1.81, with significant differences for those over 65 years old (p less than 0.01). Regarding the quality indicators used: 78% of the medicines are included in the Primary Care Guide; 79.5% of those studied only took one drug; drugs were administered orally in 83% of cases; occasional concomitant medication was detected on 22.7% of the record cards and potential interactions existed on 35% of the cards.
Conclusions:
A therapeutic level, which was acceptable in terms of the indicators used, was supposed. For the Primary Care team to reflect jointly on prescriptions was thought to be important. The question was posed of a training programme for all doctors working in the area.