Elaboration of Technical Reports on the use of medicines in the COVID-19: collaborative work by Drug Information Centers from Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Brandão, Maria Fernanda Barros de Oliveira
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Matos, Luiz Eduardo Oliveira, Soares, Luise de Paula, Pio, Isabel Dielle Sousa Lima, Monteiro, Mirian Parente, Passos, Ana Claúdia de Brito, Unfer, Taís Cristina, Nunes, Deuzilane Muniz
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Vigilância Sanitária em Debate
• Texto Completo: https://visaemdebate.incqs.fiocruz.br/index.php/visaemdebate/article/view/1701
• topic: Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19; Evidence-Based Medicine; Drug Information Services; Infecções por coronavírus; COVID-19; Medicina Baseada em Evidência; Serviços de Informação sobre Medicamentos

Introduction: There is an urgency to have drugs capable of treating COVID-19. However, there are still shortages of studies and difficulties in accessing secure information. Drug Information Centers (DIC) operate in the production and dissemination of quality, objective, and timely information, based on the best scientific evidence. Objective: To describe the collaborative experience of preparing Technical Notes (TN) and Drugs Alerts (DA) on the use of medicines at COVID-19, carried out by members of DICs in Brazil. Method: This is an experience report of a descriptive and analytical type, with a qualitative approach. The profile of the participating DICs and their professionals were initially analyzed, and then the method adopted for conducting the work from March to June 2020 was presented. Results: Four DICs from the Northeast of Brazil participated in this experience, that of the Federal University of Vale São Francisco, the Federal University of Sergipe Lagarto campus, the Federal University of Ceará and the DIC of the Regional Pharmacy Council of Bahia. The stages of the TN development process were: 1) Definition of the TN objectives; 2) Selection of themes; 3) Search for information; 4) Construction process and description of the TNs; 5) Review and 6) Publication of TNs. Four TNs were produced, on antihypertensive and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine; ivermectin and, vitamin D, in addition, a DA about ivermectin and your potential to cause neurotoxicity. Conclusions: The experience of this collaborative work demonstrates that DICs are playing an important role in combating the pandemic by the new coronavirus and infodemic, promoting quality information, based on the best evidence.