Abstract

DOMINGUEZ SANCHEZ-MIGALLON, Pedro. Application of the HAMC list to patients with polypharmacy in a primary healthcare center. Rev Clin Med Fam [online]. 2017, vol.10, n.1, pp.5-11. ISSN 2386-8201.

Objective: To know the use of drugs included in the HAMC List (High-Alert Medications for patients with Chronic illnesses) in polypharmacy patients of a Health Center. Design: Descriptive, observational cross-sectional study using medical records. Location: Primary Healthcare Centre Manzanares II (Ciudad Real). Participants: 266 patients with polypharmacy (≥6 drugs) of both sexes from the Health Area, selected by systematic sampling. Main measures: Age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, number of drugs (listed by SESCAM), chronic diseases, active drugs (≥ 3 months) reflected in the electronic medical history, and prescription of drugs included in the HAMC list. Results: 96,3% (CI 95 % 93.2-98.2 %) of polypharmacy patients take drugs on the HAMC list. The average number of HAMC list drugs is 2.42 (± 1.26) (without differences between sexes). The most widely used are antiplatelet agents (53 %), benzodiazepines (45.1 %), hypoglycemic agents (28.9 %), beta blockers (28.2 %), loop diuretics (2.3 %) and opioids (17.3 %), with gender differences in antiplatelet agents (p<0.01), benzodiazepines (p<0.05) and opioids (p<0.01). In pluripathology patients there are gender differences in the use of loop diuretics (p<0.001), anticoagulants (p <0.01) and NSAIDs (p <0.05). Conclusions: The majority of polypharmacy patients take drugs included in the HAMC List. It is advisable to carry out a proper drug monitoring of chronic and/or pluripathology patients.

Keywords : Patient Safety; Drug Safety; Polypharmacy.

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