title: [Distribution of primary care expenditure according to sex and age group: a retrospective analysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the primary care expenditure per person and the weight of different health resources within sex and age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cost analysis. Retrospective descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  14 urban primary care centers (assigned population: 313,000).
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients who visited during 2008 (227,235).
  
  
  METHODS
  January to December 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age, sex, visits, laboratory, radiology and complementary tests and referrals to specialists were obtained from patient electronic files. Pharmacy expenditure was obtained from invoices sent to the national health system by pharmacists. Fixed/semi-fixed costs were distributed among visits and a mean cost/visit was obtained. Costs were assigned for laboratory (mean application cost), for radiology and complementary tests (rate per type of test) and for referrals (adjusted rate). Descriptive analysis of data (median, interquartile range and coefficient of variance).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median expenditure was 362 € (321 € for men and 396 € for women). For the up to 2 year-old group it was 410 €, for aged 15-44 203 € and 75 and above 1,255 €.). The up to 2 years old visits represented 81% of total cost while pharmacy was 8%, while for those aged 75 and above visits accounted for 21% of the total cost and pharmacy 63%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expenditure in primary care is higher in women, although the greatest differences were observed with age. In older than 74 years the median expenditure was six-fold higher than that for 3-44 years old group. In pediatrics the main source of expenditure was visits, representing 80% of the total in up to 2 years old. From 45 years old, pharmacy was the main source of expenditure and in those older than 74 it represented over 60% of the total.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Atenció Integral Dos de Maig, Consorci Sanitari Integral, Barcelona, España. alba.aguado@sanitatintegral.org
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguado
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Flor
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sicras
authors.forename: Amador
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prados-Torres
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult