Abstract

GUTIERREZ-PADILLA, José Alfonso et al. Pharmacovigilance in the critical newborn in the state of Jalisco: Forgotten obligation. Perinatol. Reprod. Hum. [online]. 2014, vol.28, n.3, pp.129-133. ISSN 2524-1710.

There is a need to establish medication surveillance/monitoring systemsfor newborn patients in critical condition in order to protect these patients from possible adverse reactions to prescribed drugs. In accordance with Mexican official standard NOM 220, these reactions may result from pharmacological effects, interaction with other drugs, dosage errors, and the patient's nature/idiosyncrasy. Objective: Our goal was to gain knowledge on the current situation regarding medication surveillance in neonatal intensive care units within the state of Jalisco. Material and methods: By means of a structured questionnaire involving 12 questions, an opinion poll was carried out with reference to medication surveillance programs for newborn patients in critical condition at institutions within Guadalajara's metropolitan area and the State of Jalisco. The survey was conducted in 8 hospital centers that provide neonatal intensive care and at a state congress on pediatrics that took place in 2011. All of the respondents were asked to voluntarily fill out a questionnaire Ad-hoc, and the results were processed using the Epi Info 2010 program. Discussion and conclusions: The results show that there is widespread noncompliance of NOM 220. There is a considerable deficit with respect to units implementing medication surveillance systems and methods to notify adverse reactions to medication, with implementation rates lower than 50%. It appears that the problem is even greater in private institutions. Compliance with NOM 220 is essential in order to guarantee the quality of the care provided to newborn patients in critical condition within the state of Jalisco.

Keywords : Critical Newborn; pharmacovigilance; adverse drug reactions.