Objetive:

To determine frequency of prescription of losartan over 100 mg/day, to notify the physicians responsible for the healthcare about the limited benefits and to thus achieve a decrease in the number of individuals taking this dose.

Methods:

Quasi-experimental study, before and after, without a control group, on prescription factors in patients with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension taking losartan between January 1st 2010 (41,624 patients) and December 31st 2014 (75,126 patients). Afterwards, people receiving doses over 100 mg/day were identified. Educational interventions were conducted starting June 2012, and results were measured in terms of the proportion of patients who stopped taking losartan in these doses.

Results:

In 2012, 7,205 individuals were identified (12.8% of patients with losartan) with more than 100 mg/day, who after 108 educational activities were reduced to 5,373 by year 2014 (7.1% of patients taking antihypertensive agents; a 25.4% decrease) despite a 29.3% rise in registered participants during the follow-up period. After the intervention, a COP$ 204,293,878 saving was achieved over the course of two years.

Conclusions:

Prescriptions of losartan in doses higher as what were deemed effective were reduced, which implies a reduction of both the risk of hyperkalemia and the costs due to taking a higher dose than recommended. It is important to reinforce ongoing medical education activities in order to promote appropriate drug consumption.

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