Differences in the prescription patterns of anti-asthmatic medications for children by pediatricians, family physicians and physicians of other specialties.
BACKGROUND
Prescription patterns of anti-asthma medications in children vary among doctors in different disciplines and settings, and may reflect differences in treatment outcome. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prescribing patterns of anti-asthma drugs by pediatricians, family physicians and other practitioners.


METHODS
Data for a total of 225,537 anti-asthma prescriptions were collected from the National Health Insurance Research Database for the period from January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2002. These medications included inhaled and oral adrenergics, inhaled and oral corticosteroids, xanthine derivatives, and leukotriene receptor antagonists prescribed by general pediatricians, family physicians and physicians in other disciplines.


RESULTS
Oral beta2-agonist was the most commonly prescribed drug used as monotherapy, with prescription rates of 70.4%, 46.9% and 58.0% by pediatricians, family physicians and other physicians, respectively. A xanthine derivative was the next most commonly prescribed monotherapy. Oral corticosteroid combined with oral beta2-agonist, followed by oral beta2-agonist combined with a xanthine derivative were the two most commonly prescribed dual-agent combined therapies by all three physician categories. The prescription rate for inhaled corticosteroid monotherapy was 7.8% by pediatricians, 5.6% by family physicians, and 8.0% by other physicians. The prescription rate for inhaled adrenergic was the highest in family physicians (14.9%), followed by the other physicians (7.2%), and was lowest in pediatricians (3.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
Pediatricians and family physicians appeared to share similar opinions on the medical management of children with asthma in that both most commonly prescribed oral beta2-agonists and xanthine derivatives, either alone or in combination. Family physicians were least likely to prescribe an inhaled corticosteroid and most likely to prescribe an inhaled adrenergic agent.
Sun
Hai-Lun
HL
Department of Pediatrics, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, and Institute of Medicine, Taichung, Taiwan.
Kao
Yea-Huei
YH
Chou
Ming-Chieh
MC
Lu
Tsung-Hsueh
TH
Lue
Ko-Huang
KH
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D010372:Pediatrics; D010821:Physicians, Family; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013624:Taiwan
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents