Prescribing patterns of medication for respiratory diseases: cluster analysis of the Portuguese electronic prescription database
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Authors Information
1Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), School of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
2Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences (MEDCIDS), School of Medicine,University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
3Department of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences, Porto Health School, Porto, Portugal
4Allergy Unit, Instituto and Hospital CUF, Porto, Portugal
History
Published: 07 January 2021
Accepted:24 August 2020
Received: 05 August 2020
SUMMARY
We aimed to describe, for the first time, the prescribing patterns among patients on persistent respiratory treatment, from the Portuguese electronic prescription and dispensing database. This was a one-year retrospective population-based analysis of prescriptions (n = 39810) for medication for respiratory disease and exacerbations. Cluster analysis was applied based on medication and prescribers’ specialty. Prescribing patterns were grouped and labelled as: possible medication for asthma and allergic rhinitis (General Practitioners-GPs and allergists to younger patients); COPD (GPs and pulmonologists to older patients); asthma or Asthma-COPD Overlap (GPs and pulmonologists); exacerbation, infection and relievers. This analysis was an important first step to understand the Portuguese reality on the treatment of respiratory diseases.
