Epidemiological research and medicines: pharmacoepidemiology

Pharmacoepidemiology, as a discipline that studies the effects and consequences of the use of drugs in human populations, has as its fundamental objective to promote its adequate use. This is based on the epidemiological method and its various research designs, each of which presents particular objectives and characteristics, but all with the overall purpose of improving drug use, preventing adverse events and their associated factors; as well as to discover new indications, to determine possible harmful effects by chronic use, to describe the possible interactions with other drugs, to identify the development of new pathologies, besides the use in special populations, among others. Among the actions of Farmacoepidemiología, the application of research for the production of solid scientific evidence for health decision making emphasizes; as well as for the execution of training actions aimed at improving practices around the medicine of patients, providers, health personnel, industry, government and the public in general. The present review aims to give a brief description of the main designs of epidemiological research and their linkage with the use of medicines, highlighting as main advantages, besides the diverse availability of methods, the simplicity, speed and ease of execution of most of them , coupled with the fact that efforts are being made by publishing guidelines aimed at improving the dissemination of results, hoping that these activities will result in an improvement in the adequate use of medicines in the population, their health and quality of life