Prevalência de prescrição de psicotrópicos a idosos atendidos na atenção primária à saúde

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of psychotropic prescriptions and related factors among the elderly in Primary Health Care (PHC). Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in Marau, Rio Grande do Sul, with elderly patients seen in PHC in 2019. Data were collected from electronic medical records and contemplated sociodemographic, health, and behavioral characteristics. The prevalence of psychotropic medication prescription (dependent variable) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI), the quantitative and the types prescribed were calculated. The distribution of the prevalence of psychotropic medication prescription according to the exposure (independent) variables was also verified by employing the chi square test and admitting type I error of 5%. Results: In the sample (n=1,728), the prevalence of psychotropic prescription was 41% (CI95 39-43), with a statistically significant difference in relation to gender (48.9% among women; p<0.001), skin color (42.6% in whites; p=0.014), polypharmacy (53.7% polymedicated; p<0.001) and diagnosis of mental health problem (88.1% diagnosed with mental disorder; p<0.001). Furthermore, among the classes studied, antidepressants had the highest frequency (78.2%) and the use of one class of psychotropic drug was found to be the most common (71.2%) in the analyzed group. Conclusions: The prevalence of psychotropic prescription is high among the elderly, especially among women, white, polymedicated, and diagnosed with some mental disorder. Thus, it is important that health professionals pay attention to the real need for use, qualifying the PHC and shaping the current medicalization of psychotropic drugs in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly population