title: [Quantitative analysis of drug expenditures variability in dermatology units].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Variability in adjusted drug expenditures among clinical departments raises the possibility of difficult access to certain therapies at the time that avoidable expenditures may also exist. Nevertheless, drug expenditures are not usually applied to clinical practice variability analysis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify and quantify variability in drug expenditures in comparable dermatology department of the Servicio Andaluz de Salud.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparative economic analysis regarding the drug expenditures adjusted to population and health care production in 18 dermatology departments of the Servicio Andaluz de Salud. The 2012 cost and production data (homogeneous production units -HPU-)were provided by Inforcoan, the cost accounting information system of the Servicio Andaluz de Salud.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The observed drug expenditure ratio ranged from 0.97?/inh to 8.90?/inh and from 208.45?/HPU to 1,471.95?/ HPU. The Pearson correlation between drug expenditure and population was 0.25 and 0.35 for the correlation between expenditure and homogeneous production (p=0.32 and p=0,15, respectively), both Pearson coefficients confirming the lack of correlation and arelevant degree of variability in drug expenditures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quantitative analysis of variability performed through Pearson correlation has confirmed the existence of drug expenditure variability among comparable dermatology departments.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moreno-Ramírez
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrándiz
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Soto
authors.forename: M Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Muñoyerro
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000191:economics; D003880:Dermatology / Q000191:economics*; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000191:economics*; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D003879:Dermatologic Agents