Pharmaceutical care in primary health care and mental health care, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify and describe the activities of a clinical nature carried out by pharmacists at Basic Health Units and Psychosocial Care Centers in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. This is a descriptive, exploratory study with a quantitative approach with variables selected from an interview script applied to the study population. 34 pharmacists were interviewed; 76.5% stated dispensing and delivering medication to users. 52.9% said they did not perform activities of a clinical nature. The main reasons for not performing clinical activities included lack of physical space, time, and lack of requests to perform the activity. Among those who claimed to carry out activities of a clinical nature, the offer was for users with difficulties using medication. The municipality has an insufficient number of pharmacists to meet the demands of Pharmaceutical Assistance. Most professionals have a workload of 20 hours and mainly dispense medication. Better structuring of pharmaceutical services in the municipality is necessary, with an increase in the number of pharmacists and the workload, in addition to improvements in the physical structure to meet the health needs of patients related to the use of medicines.