Article Text
Abstract
Background and Importance Penitentiary institute contain a population of prisoners or interned who, from the moment they enter the prison, they bring with them their personal experience of discomfort that results in the concentration in a single environment of physical, mental and behavioural diseases. The direct consequence is the use of a large number of drugs. The activities of the hospital pharmacy include the distribution of drugs to the penitentiary institute.
Aim and Objectives The objective of the study was to analyse the use of drugs in the prison population strongly influenced by the contingent situation and which has a high demand for health needs.
Material and Methods A study was conducted to examine data of drugs required from the penitentiary institute in terms of quantity expressed in dosage units and costs from the data consumption of hospital medicines in the three-year period 2019–2021.
Results The total cost of medicine consumption in the penitentiary institution considered is €103522.9 in 2019, €81.484.31 in 2020, down by 21.2% compared to the previous year and €86.525.72 in 2021 (Δ% 21–20 = +5.8). Analysing the first level of Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, the highest consumption value is related to drugs for the nervous system (N), followed by those active on alimentary tract and metabolism (A) and cardiovascular drugs (C). By analysing costs, the highest value is observed for the category of drugs for the nervous system, 68% in 2019–2020 of the total cost and 61% in 2021. Drugs active on alimentary tract and metabolism represent the 7% in 2019–2020 and 11% in 2021 respectively. The therapeutic category with the highest consumption are psycholeptics, antiepileptics and drugs for disorders related to acid secretion. Among the substances with the greatest cost are clonazepam and aripiprazole in 2019–2020, while in 2021 is promazine. Valproic acid and quietapine are the most used substances in the three-year period.
Conclusion and Relevance The data described the use of drugs in a penitentiary institute emphasised the high pharmacological burden consequence of many pathologies in this population. In fact, psychotropic drugs are the most commonly used substances. This data is related to the presence of neuro-psychiatric disorders in prisoners.
Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest