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Health Services Utilization
Medication Use
In 2003, medication was prescribed or provided
at 595.3 million physician office visits; multiple drugs were recorded
at 39.5 percent of all visits. The percent of visits with one or
more drugs prescribed or provided was similar for males and females
(66.4 versus 65.2 percent). Among females, 34.8 percent of visits
did not involve prescribing or providing any drugs, 26.1 percent
of visits involved the prescription or provision of one drug, and
15.0 percent of visits involved two drugs. The frequency with which
different types of drugs are discussed can be driven by numerous
factors, including a change in the prevalence of the disease or
condition that the drug treats, evidence regarding the efficacy
of the drug, and the level of marketing that the drug receives.
For instance, since 2001, overall rates of hormone replacement therapy
for women 45 years and older declined from 55.6 to 30.7 drug mentions
per 100 office visits. This decline reflects the effects of two
large clinical trials that found increases in coronary heart events
associated with hormone replacement therapy.1
The prescription or provision of medications
among females varies by age and drug type. In 2003, the use of cardiovascular/renal
and pain relief drugs generally increased with age, while respiratory
tract drugs decreased with age. Discussions about central nervous
system drugs, including mental health medications such as antidepressants,
during physician visits were most common among women in the middle
age groups, with the highest rate occurring among women aged 45
to 64 years of age (mentioned 24.3 times per 100 visits). The highest
rate of drug mentions was 59.9 mentions per 100 visits; this was
for cardiovascular/renal drugs among women 75 years and older. The
lowest rate of drug mentions (1.1 per 100 visits) was for cardiovascular/renal
drugs among females under 15 years of age; for this age group, the
most common type was respiratory tract drugs (mentioned 27.1 times
per 100 visits).
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VERTICAL CHART: Medication Use Reported for Females During
Physician Office Visits, by Age, 2003
1Hing E, Cherry DK, Woodwell DA. National Ambulatory
Medical Care Survey: 2003 summary. Advance Data from Vital and Health
Statistics, No. 365; 2005 Oct.
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