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Geographical Variation in Medication Prescriptions: A Multiregional Drug-Utilization Study
- Source :
- Frontiers in Pharmacology, Frontiers in Pharmacology, Vol 11 (2020)
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Background Studies have emphasized the importance of geographical factors and general practitioner (GP) characteristics in influencing drug prescriptions. Objectives To: (i) ascertain the prevalence rate (PR) of use of drugs in six therapeutic categories used for chronic conditions; (ii) assess how geographical characteristics and GP characteristics may influence drug prescribing. Methods This study is part of the EDU.RE.DRUG Project, a national collaborative project founded by Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA). Cross-sectional analyses were undertaken employing the pharmacy-claim databases of four local health units (LHUs) located in two Italian regions: Lombardy and Campania. Six drug categories were evaluated: proton-pump inhibitors; antibiotics; respiratory-system drugs; statins; agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system; psychoanaleptic drugs. The PR was estimated according to drug categories at the LHU level. A linear multivariate regression analysis was undertaken to evaluate the association between the PR and geographical area, age and sex of GPs, number of patients, and percentage of patients aged >65 per GP. Results LHUs in Campania showed a PR that was significantly higher than that in Lombardy. Antibiotics showed the highest PR in all the LHUs assessed, ranging from 32.5% in Lecco (Lombardy) to 59.7% in Naples-2 (Campania). Multivariate linear regression analysis confirmed the association of the PR with geographical area for all drug categories. Being located in Campania increased the possibility of receiving a drug prescription from the categories considered, with estimates more marked for antibiotics, proton-pump-inhibitors, and respiratory-system drugs. Conclusions This study provides information about the PR of medications used for treating common and costly conditions in Italy and highlighted a significant geographical variation. These insights could help to develop area-specific strategies to optimize prescribing behavior.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Drug
Drug Utilization
Multivariate statistics
Cross-sectional study
media_common.quotation_subject
prevalence
Prevalence
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Environmental health
Bayesian multivariate linear regression
Medicine
Pharmacology (medical)
Medical prescription
media_common
Original Research
drug use
Pharmacology
pharmacy claims
drug-utilization
business.industry
lcsh:RM1-950
Retrospective cohort study
geographical difference
030104 developmental biology
lcsh:Therapeutics. Pharmacology
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
general practitioner
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16639812
- Volume :
- 11
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Frontiers in pharmacology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ef116caae0aa16e246acd72cd549d362