Evaluation of the waste of medicines through the irrational use of medicines in the residences registered in the Health Unit of the Family Hugo Naves Cansado belonging to the Vila Íris neighborhood located in the municipality of Gurupi — Tocantins

Irrational use of medicines is understood as the process that includes the prescription, dispensing and use of medicines incorrectly. A pharmacy homemade is characterized as a clear example of this practice, cooperating through the storage of medicines in homes for the waste of them, either by a certain amount stored or by drugs with an expired shelf life. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether there was a waste of medicines from their irrational use in the community living in the Vila Iris neighborhood of Gurupi-TO. This research was characterized as a descriptive exploratory field with qualitative and quantitative analysis. It was carried out with residents living in the Vila Íris neighborhood of Gurupi-TO, registered at the Family Health Unit (FHU) Hugo Naves Cansado, data collection took place from home visits with questionnaire application during July and August 2011. 142 legal guardians of the residences were interviewed, of this 70.42 % were female, in 90.52% of the households participating in the research there was drug storage and the average was 2.41 drugs per household, according to the results from this research it was possible to notice that in the community of neighborhood Vila Iris, Gurupi-TO, there was a waste of medicines. Although most of the drugs present in the researched houses were acquired by medical indication, the possibility of irrational use of medications is not ruled out mainly due to a lack of adequate guidance.