Avaliação das notificações de reação adversa a antineoplásicos em pacientes ambulatoriais de um hospital sentinela

Abstract

Antineoplastic medications can cause a variety of adverse reactions, the incidence and profile of which depend on the characteristics of the drug and the patient. Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are considered a public health problem, negatively influencing the patient's quality of life and adherence to treatment. Therefore, reporting and understanding ADRs is essential to improve patient support for antineoplastic therapy. Thus, the objective of the work was to describe and analyze the profile of patients (age, sex and neoplasia) and the characteristics of ADRs (signs, symptoms, medication involved, degree, type and causality) reported by the Chemotherapy Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria - RS. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study, developed at the Santa Maria University Hospital (HUSM), covering the period from January 2021 to December 2022. The following data were collected from notifications of Adverse Reactions (AR) to antineoplastics in the Health Surveillance and Hospital Care Risk Management Application (VigiHosp) and the electronic form “Notifica RAM ®”: the total number of ARs to antineoplastics, age and sex of patients, the most prevalent neoplasms; the most common signs/symptoms manifested, the medications involved, the classification of the degree and type of the reaction and the causal relationship. The total number of patients treated, number of prescriptions made and number of chemotherapy drugs prepared by the Compounding Pharmacy for patients at the HUSM Chemotherapy Outpatient Clinic were extracted from statistical reports prepared by the institution's Statistics Service. A greater number of notifications was observed involving middle-aged female patients (45-59 years). ADRs classified as mostly mild in severity, type A, with rituximab being the most frequently registered medication and flushing being the most commonly reported clinical manifestation. The number of records in the electronic form “Notifica RAM ®” increased by 113.8% in 2022, showing a more active participation of health professionals in the act of notifying ADRs, compared to 2021. With this study it was possible expand the institution's RA statistics for antineoplastics, providing crucial data to be used as strategic tools in decision-making aimed at improving the medical and therapeutic assistance offered to patients undergoing cancer treatment, promoting the qualification of the Pharmacovigilance service.