Pharmaceutical care during pregnancy: An integrative review

Abstract

Pregnancy is a natural and physiological phenomenon, in which 20% of cases can evolve to an unfavorable outcome, which can occur for both the woman and her baby. The absence of pregnancy is common with the use of medication. This practice still represents a challenge for the medicine, since many drugs cross the placental barrier and can cause harm to the fetus. Despite the risks of exposure, largely related to self-medication and lack of pharmacotherapeutic follow-up at this stage, drug problems (DRP) are probably not monitored due to the lack of a pharmacist on the team. This research aimed to investigate the theme of the pharmacist during the gestational period, based on the publications of scientific articles that address this subject, aiming to understand the role of the pharmacist in monitoring pharmacotherapy and identifying problems related to medications. This research consists of an integrative literature review (RIL), with the guiding question: What is the importance of pharmaceutical care in promoting health care during the gestational period? Publications were searched in the databases VHL, LILACS, MEDLINE, Scielo, Capes journal portal, using two Health Sciences Descriptors considering the Boolean connector: “AND”. After the searches, the number of 170 publications was reached, which were reduced to 7, after the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only 3 professionals presented guidance tools for drug-related problems, citing the pharmacist as a professional capable of identifying and tracking the risks of drug therapy. In this way, the importance of discussing topics such as the use of medications during pregnancy, the identification of Problems Related to Medications, and especially pharmaceutical care during pregnancy is highlighted.