Abstract

BARRAZA DIAZ, Emily I  and  SANCHEZ S, Gregorio L. Rational drug use by community workers in primary health care in the rural clinics of the municipality Atures, Amazonas State (Venezuela), year 2011. INHRR [online]. 2014, vol.45, n.2, pp.79-95. ISSN 0798-0477.

Venezuela has simplified medical assistants (AMS) and non-professional community workers for primary health care (ACAPS), trained in the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases; providing care in inaccessible and remote rural areas. In this paper the rational use of drugs by the AMS/ACAPS in rural clinics (AR) of the municipality Atures, Amazonas state (Venezuela) in 2011, was described. For this, a descriptive, non-experimental, field and cross sectional study took place; using the WHO basic indicators of drug use. We evaluated 12 of the 16 type I ARs and the type II AR in the municipality; recording 830 consultations and 1,238 drug prescriptions during the second quarter of 2011. The AMS/ACAPS prescribed 1.51 drugs per consultation. Of all prescriptions, 86.92% were by generic names, 11.26% as an injectable drug, 23.88% were an antibiotic and only 52.51% were in accordance to the primary care level. Of the 13 ARs visited, 9 had the drug list, 4 the national therapeutic formulary and 8 had another source of information (AMS or ACAPS training guides). The availability of key drugs had a critical average of 48.72%. The prescription of drugs by the AMS/ACAPS is inadequate because a list of drugs, which is not according to the first level of care, is used.

Keywords : Rational use of drugs; essential drugs; primary health care; community agents; therapeutic formulary.

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