Dear Colleagues
I attach information from a paper in the latest edition of the Irish Medical Journal, which is freely available on line, which argues that there are geographical varaiations in access to secondary preventative therapies across Ireland.
Best wishes
David McDaid
LSE Health and Social Care
K Bennett, J Feely, D Williams
Inequalities in Prescribing of Secondary Preventative Therapies for Ischaemic Heart Disease in Ireland
Irish Medical Journal June 2002 95(6)
Available on-line at
http://www.imj.ie/news_detail.php?nNewsId=2398&nVolId=93
Abstract
The study aim is to quantify the variation in prescribing rates of secondary preventative therapies for Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD) across regions, age and gender. Patients receiving any prescriptions for a nitrate during a one year period (September 1999-August 2000) were considered using a national primary care prescribing database. Age-sex standardised prescribing rates of four secondary preventative therapies for IHD (Ace inhibitors, beta-blockers, aspirin, statins) were calculated for each region. Wide variations between regions were observed with significantly higher variability for Ace inhibitors compared with aspirin (F-ratio=22.8, p<0.001). Men were more likely to prescribed these therapies and the elderly were less likely (except Ace inhibitors). The study suggests that access to secondary preventative therapy is not equitable across regions, gender and age in Ireland. The wide variability may be due to uncertainty in prescribing secondary preventative therapies and/or variability in clinical need between regions.
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