The use of medications by elderly men with polypharmacy: representations and practices

Meanings of the use of medicinal plants in self-care practices

OBJECTIVE

Understand the meanings people attribute to the use of plants in self-care practices during situations of ailment.

METHOD

Qualitative, exploratory-descriptive research with ethnographic orientation, based on health anthropology with informants selected from a relations network. The sampling was done by semi-structured interviews and participant observations, from April 2015 to February 2017.

RESULTS

Seventeen informants participated. The thematic axis emerged in the content analysis: meanings attributed by the informants to the use of medicinal plants. Feelings of love and happiness were unveiled, meanings of helping others, cure practices, family care through plants, comfort, the sense of welfare, among others.

CONCLUSION

The importance of the nursing professional in establishing a therapeutic alliance with the subjects and social groups, aiming at the promotion of health and care completeness.

Polifarmacia en adulto mayor, impacto en su calidad de vida. Revision de literatura

Objetivo Conocer mediante el análisis del estado del conocimiento, el impacto de polifarmacia en calidad de vida de adultos mayores y cuál ha sido el rol de enfermería frente a esta problemática de salud.Métodos Revisión descriptiva de 62 artículos originales de diversos diseños metodológicos, en bases de datos: EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science, SciELO, Elsevier, SCOPUS y Dialnet.Resultados La polifarmacia en adultos mayores se presenta con mayor frecuencia en el sexo femenino, en personas con bajo nivel de escolaridad, sumados a factores socioeconómico. Un gran porcentaje de adultos mayores presenta efecto cascada en consumo de fármacos, por cantidad de medicamentos consumidos y número de médicos consultados, produciendo interacciones farmacológicas, afectando funcionalidad y calidad de vida.Conclusiones Es necesario mayor control de medicamentos consumidos por adultos mayores, para evitar efectos nocivos. Los profesionales de enfermería deben tener un rol educativo en este grupo etario, para disminuir polifarmacia e impulsar estilos de vida que fomenten el envejecimiento saludable.

Activity limitation in elderly people in the European context of gender inequality: a multilevel approach

The objective of the present study was to examine the magnitude of gender differences in activity limitations among the elderly, and the effect of the health and social individual factors and the context of social gender inequality in Europe. Cross-sectional design was performed. The study population included residents aged 60 years or over from 17 countries that participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe conducted in 2010-13 (n = 49,685). Gender differences in activity limitation in each country was estimated. For multilevel analysis adjusted linear mixed effect models were used, where the intercept and 'sex' were considered random effects, with the 95% confidence intervals. The activity limitation index was created from a two parameter logistic combined models of item response theory. The average activity limitation index was significantly higher in women, (g10 = b1j = 0.36, p < 0.001), and was then controlled by individual and contextual factors, while the extent of these differences varied among countries. The European countries with the greatest gender differences in activity limitations were those with the greatest social gender inequalities, with women presenting a significant disadvantage.

[An integrative review of drug utilization by the elderly in primary health care]

OBJECTIVE

To identify knowledge produced about drug utilization by the elderly in the primary health care context from 2006 to 2014.

METHOD

An integrative review of the PubMed, LILACS, BDENF, and SCOPUS databases, including qualitative research papers in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. It excluded papers with insufficient information regarding the methodological description.

RESULTS

Search found 633 papers that, after being subjected to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, made up a corpusof 76 publications, mostly in English and produced in the United States, England, and Brazil. Results were pooled in eight thematic categories showing the current trend of drug use in the elderly, notably the use of psychotropics, polypharmacy, the prevention of adverse events, and adoption of technologies to facilitate drug management by the elderly. Studies point out the risks posed to the elderly as a consequence of changes in metabolism and simultaneous use of several drugs.

CONCLUSION

There is strong concern about improving communications between professionals and the elderly in order to promote an exchange of information about therapy, and in this way prevent major health complications in this population.