Abstract

NADALETO DIDONE, Thiago Vinícius et al. Factors related to missing and rescheduling pharmaceutical care appointments by aged outpatients in a Brazilian public health setting. Ars Pharm [online]. 2015, vol.56, n.4, pp.209-216. ISSN 2340-9894.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S2340-98942015000400004.

Objectives: To uncover reasons why patients missed pharmaceutical care (PC) appointments, identify predictive factors to miss at least one appointment and to reschedule after a miss, and compare the rescheduling behavior of patients receiving different types of PC. Methods: All elderly patients who had at least one scheduled appointment in the PC service of a health setting of São Paulo city, Brazil, from January to December/2011 were included. Chi-square analysis compared categorical data between groups; multivariate logistic regression models predicted attendance and rescheduling behavior. Results: We identified 421 patients, being 221 (52.5%) non-attenders. Forgetting the appointment was the most common patient-related reason (56.3%). Illiteracy was a risk factor to be a non-attender [OR(95%CI)=2.27(1.17:4.40), p=0.015]. Patients having previous knowledge of the pharmacist presented more chance to rescheduled an appointment after the first miss compared to those who had not [OR(95%CI)=3.57(1.90:6.71), p<0.001]. Further, non-attenders who had knowledge of the pharmacist and received Medication Review with Follow-up rescheduled more than the ones receiving other types of PC (p=0.035). Conclusion: Illiteracy predicted non-attendance in PC to aged outpatients and forgetfulness was the main reason for that. The previous acquaintance of the pharmacist and the provision of pharmaceotherapeutic follow-up explained the rescheduling behavior, which indicates the establishment of a patient-centered patient-pharmacist relationship plays a pivotal role in the continuity of the PC.

Keywords : Health Services for the Aged; Appointments and Schedules; Pharmaceutical Services; Professional-Patient Relations.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )