Omeprazole use at University Hospital in Porto Alegre-RS (Brazil) / Uso de omeprazol en el hospital universitario de Porto Alegre-RS (Brasil) / Uso de omeprazol em hospital universitário de Porto Alegre-RS (Brasil)

Intestinal bleeding are important cause of hospital admissions and death, being relevant in critically weak patients and those with arthritis and osteoarthritis using NSAIDs. Omepazole is the first choice drug for prophylaxis of stress ulcer and NSAID complications prevention, because it prevent not only duodenal but also gastric ulcer and eradication of H pylori used with antibiotics. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of use, indications and characteristics of population using omeprazole. A qualitative and quantitative drug utilization study was done. In-hospital adults at a University Hospital constituted study population. From 91 patients studied, the majority suffered from cancer (24.2%). Average length of stay and omeprazole use time was 20 and 12 days, respectively. Abdominal surgery team was the higher omeprazole prescriber, and main indication was post-surgery. Although most of omeprazole uses was acceptable, those could be better evaluated. T could be useful implementing a pharmaceutical care program and creating a omeprazole use guideline with the objective of prescribing it in a more rationale and adequate way for each patient.