Los medicamentos en el embarazo: experiencias de la labor comunitaria con el Museo de la Farmacia Habanera

introduction: the inadequate use of drugs is at present an important health and economic problem that becomes more sensitive in special populations such as children, elderly and pregnant women. the department of basic chemistry and the drug information service of the institute of pharmacy and food are carrying out a community-based project at the pharmacy called "la reunión" located in the old historical part of havana city. the project covers educational work aimed at pregnant women who are cared for at "leonor pérez" maternal home. the objective of this paper was to evaluate the impact of a first cycle of activities targeting the pregnant women population segment. methods: the activities targeted around 20 pregnant women. the addressed topics covered drug use in some pregnancy-related disorders. the population was classified according to age, number of pregnancies and number of activities in which they had previously participated. some surveys were administered at the beginning and the end of this first cycle, and also the nursing staff working in this maternal home was interviewed. results: ninety four percent of the surveyed population was involved in at least two activities. young females aged 15-20 years and primiparas were predominant. the administered surveys showed a significant increase in the level of knowledge on pregnancy-related problems and greater motivation to discuss these topics. discussion: these results may be considered as very positive in order to set new guidelines for this project improvement in the future.