Introduction:

Pharmaceutical Care is a systematic process to detect, solve, and prevent Drug Related Problems. The aim of this study is to describe the number and profile of problems detected and solved in a group of adult patients interviewed in a Pharmacotherapy Optimization Unit in Argentina, during an average pharmacotherapeutic follow-up of one year.

Method:

A quasi-experimental, open-label, prospective study was carried out in 40 outpatients. The Clinical characteristics and medications were revealed, as well as their adherence to the service. The Minnesota classification of Drug Therapy Problems was used, recording dimension, category, cause, associated clinical condition, associated medication, risk status, final status, and resolution method.

Results:

The most widely used pharmacotherapeutic groups were beta-blockers, statins, vitamins and minerals, analgesics, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines. Indication problems, especially due to the need for additional pharmacotherapy, prevailed as the most frequent, including the lack of preventive vaccines. It was possible to solve 73.6% of the detected problems, of which 60.3% was done through reports to the treating physicians. The rest could be addressed through patient education, especially those related to adherence.

Conclusions:

Pharmaceutical Care allowed a systematic pharmacotherapy work-up of Drug Related Problems detected and solved in a group of elderly outpatients, mainly female, in the context of a Pharmacotherapy Optimization Unit set up in a university hospital in Argentina.

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