Analysis of the regional difference in the number of multi-drug prescriptions and its predictors in Japan, 2015–2018

Polypharmacy and multi-drug prescription are major public health problems in Japan, but only a few studies have investigated the regional differences. By revealing regional differences in the multi-drug prescriptions, we can infer regions with high rates of multimorbidity or inappropriate prescribin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC research notes 2021-09, Vol.14 (1), p.1-367, Article 367
Main Authors: Okui, Tasuku, Park, Jinsang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age composition
Age groups
Comparative analysis
Demographic aspects
Forecasts and trends
Health insurance
Japan
Medical practices
Normal distribution
Open data
Patients
Physical characteristics
Polypharmacy
Population
Prescription drugs
Prescriptions
Psychotropic drugs
Public assistance
Public health
Regional differences
Research Note
Socioeconomic factors
Trends
Variables
Welfare
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Summary:Polypharmacy and multi-drug prescription are major public health problems in Japan, but only a few studies have investigated the regional differences. By revealing regional differences in the multi-drug prescriptions, we can infer regions with high rates of multimorbidity or inappropriate prescribing. This study revealed regional differences in multi-drug prescriptions (the number of simultaneous prescriptions of seven or more internal medicines) and investigated the factors affecting the difference using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan data. The standardized claim ratio (SCR) of the number of multi-drug prescriptions, which corrected the difference in sex and age distribution of prefectures, varied depending on prefectures. A panel data analysis investigating the association between the SCR and explanatory variables (Medical institutions, socioeconomic factors, and physical characteristics of people in prefectures) revealed that the number of public assistance recipients per 1,000 persons was positively and significantly associated with the SCR (Standardized partial regression coefficient = 0.244, p-value = 0.038). In conclusion, regional differences in the number of the multi-drug prescriptions were revealed in Japan, suggesting that public assistance recipients tend to experience multi-drug prescriptions.
ISSN:1756-0500
1756-0500
DOI:10.1186/s13104-021-05787-2