[Optimization of information on the medication of polypharmacy patients in primary care]

Abstract

As part of the protocol of the Health Service of the Principality of Asturias (Spain), primary care physicians periodically receive listings of the treatments of patients of any age taking 10 or more drugs/day for 6 months. Currently, the Health Service of the Principality of Asturias is developing a project that aims to assess the medications of polypharmacy patients. The aim is to identify: 1) the consumption of medicines of low therapeutic usefulness, 2) the consumption of potentially nephrotoxic drugs in patients with a low glomerular filtration rate, and 3) potentially inappropriate prescribing in patients aged 65 years or older. The project was started in Health Area II and the aim is to extend it to the remaining health areas. In our opinion, its automation and general implementation could be useful to optimize drug prescription.

Keywords: Inappropriate prescribing; Insuficiencia renal; Polifarmacia; Polypharmacy; Prescripción inadecuada; Renal insufficiency.