Polypharmacy and drug adherence in the elderly in the context of primary health care: Cross-sectional study

Objective: To evaluate drug adherence in elderly people who use polypharmacy in the context of primary care. Method: Cross-sectional study of quantitative character. The sample consisted of 231 elderly. Results: Of the 231 elderly who participated in the study, 36.4% were male and 63.6% were female.  The mean age observed was 73.4 (± 8.7) years. There was a statistically significant difference among the variables “sex”, “quantity of drugs” and “has caregiver”. In addition, a positive statistical correlation was observed between age and the amount of drugs used by the elderly. The prevalence of polypharmacy identified was 16.0%. Most users of multiple drugs showed adherence to treatment (86.5%). Conclusion: It is assumed the need for a greater investigation of the relationship between the caregiver and the amount of medicines used by the elderly, in addition to professional training for the management of polypharmacy.