Diagnóstico da gestão da assistência farmacêutica municipal no estado do Rio de Janeiro: Uma avaliação de estrutura e processo

Abstract

This is a study on the management of municipal Pharmaceutical Services (AF) in the State of Rio de Janeiro (ERJ), aiming to investigate the current situation of this management regarding the evaluation components of structure and process. An instrument through an electronic form, available by Google Forms tool was applied. This form, composed of 33 questions organized into four blocks of information, with an invitation to fill out, was sent to the 92 municipalities of the state after approval by the Research Ethics Committee. The designated respondent for the survey was the manager of pharmaceutical services of each municipality or, if there was no formally designated manager within the organizational structure, the professional responsible for that function in the municipal health department. The collected data were analyzed in an aggregated and anonymous pattern, aiming to describe the current panorama of the municipalities concerning AF management, based on studies related to the theme and considering the implications of the different local realities. Twenty-seven municipalities accepted the invitation and responded to the survey. There was participation from municipalities in all regions of the ERJ and 51.8% of the responding municipalities were small in population size, with up to 50,000 inhabitants. The results indicated important weaknesses and potentialities related to the structure and process components in local AF management. Weaknesses such as the absence of a formalized Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and a low offer of professional training were identified, in addition to instability in the employment bonds of professionals. As potentialities, AF was included in the organizational chart of the Municipal Health Department in 66.7% of the participating municipalities, a high number of localities included AF in the Municipal Health Plan, there was the unanimous presence of pharmacists in AF activities, and the majority of municipalities used computerized systems. Despite the limitations found, the diagnosis carried out may represent an initial step towards the improvement of AF management. The importance of new studies that further qualitatively deepen the understanding of local realities in the scope of AF in the state of Rio de Janeiro was identified