Evaluation of the structure of the pharmacies in the family health units for the attendance of patients’ systemic arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus in Pernambuco

Abstract Background Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are chronic diseases that require continuous care and the adequate use of medicines for effective control. The existing structure of pharmacies influences the access, dispensing, and storage of medicines and influence the quality of care. Objective To evaluate the structure of the pharmacies in the family health units in the care of arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus in Pernambuco, 2016. Method This study is an evaluation of the structure component according to a model proposed by Donabedian. The person responsible for pharmacy from a probabilistic sample of family health teams was interviewed with questions about the physical structure, supplies, and human resources. A descriptive and association analysis was carried out to verify the differences between capital and interior. Results More than 90% of the pharmacies were operating in the mornings and afternoon shifts. Only 5.7% of the pharmacies in the capital and 2.7% in the interior had a pharmacist as responsible for service; this activity was performed by other professionals, most of whom were middle-level and without qualification. The capital had a greater variety of medicines; however, the quantities were insufficient for demand. Conclusion Problems in the pharmacies structure were identified, mainly in the training of human resources and supplies' availability with few differences between capital and interior.