A Cross-sectional, Descriptive Study of Medication Use Among Persons With a Gastrointestinal Stoma

Research on the use of medications in people with intestinal stomas is lacking, creating gaps in knowledge of pharmacoepidemiology in these patients. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted over a period of 4 months in Divinópolis, Brazil to describe the profile of medication use among people enrolled in the Health Support Service for People with Stoma - Level II (SSPS II) of a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. All patients from SSPS II with a colostomy or ileostomy were invited by phone to participate; those with incomplete registration data and/or who were <18 years old, hospitalized for any reason, or had their stoma reversed were excluded from participation. During home interviews, researchers obtained sociodemographic profiles (age, gender, education, occupation, and family income) and information on comorbidities, medication use, adherence to medication protocols (per the Morisky Green Levine test), polypharmacy, and adult/pharmaceutical care (medication description and indication, expiration date, self-medication). Drug storage was assessed by visual evaluation. The information was entered onto individual data sheets, numbered to ensure patient anonymity. The data then were entered into and analyzed using SSPS II statistical software using frequency measurements, measures of central tendency, and dispersion of demographic variables, health conditions, and medicine use. The study population included 59 persons (average age 66.9 ± 13.27 years), 36 (61.0%) women, 38 (64.4%) with an incomplete/primary level education, and 44 (74.5%) retired. Forty-nine (49) patients had a colostomy and 10 had an ileostomy; cancer was the main reason for stoma creation (61.1%). Half of the survey participants reported having 1 or 2 comorbidities (average 2.3); the most prevalent (52) was circulatory system disease among which hypertension (38, 64.4%) was most common. Analysis of the pharmacotherapeutic profile (prescribed and used) showed 89.8% of the study population used medication, and 52.8% were prescribed >5 medications (polypharmacy). Low and medium level adherence with prescriptions was noted (37.7%); 39.6% reported receiving no guidance on the use of the medication associated with their condition. Improper storage was observed in 33.9% of participants. In this population, persons with a stoma had complex pharmacotherapy, a high rate of polypharmacy, and deficiency in guidance on the use of medication. Further research into determining whether investments in both inclusion of a pharmacist on the team and more pharmacoepidemiological studies would improve patient care and medication safety in patients with a stoma is warranted.