ISSN 0377-9556 (PRINT)
ISSN 2383-9457 (ONLINE)
ISSN 2383-9457 (ONLINE)
The rates and characteristics of tablet-splitting prescriptions of enteric-coated tablets of aspirin and diclofenac sodium
| Aspirin 100 mg | Diclofenac 25 mg | Diclofenac 50 mg | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, N (%) | Split, N (%) | Rate⁋ (%) | Total, N (%) | Split, N (%) | Rate (%) | Total, N (%) | Split, N (%) | Rate (%) | |
| Overall | 1227666 (100) | 941 (100) | (0.08) | 53868 (100) | 2248 (100) | (4.17) | 1516 (100) | 85 (100) | (5.61) |
| Age (years) | |||||||||
| ≤4 | 262 (0.02) | 238 (25.29) | (90.84) | 1196 (2.22) | 1192 (53.03) | (99.67) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 |
| 5-9 | 170 (0.01) | 76 (8.08) | (44.71) | 1390 (2.58) | 744 (33.10) | (53.53) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 |
| 10-14 | 122 (0.00) | 12 (1.28) | (9.84) | 1610 (2.99) | 84 (3.74) | (5.22) | 7 (0.46) | 1 (1.18) | (14.26) |
| 15-19 | 228 (0.02) | 1 (0.11) | (0.44) | 1954 (3.63) | 15 (0.67) | (0.77) | 17 (1.12) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 |
| 20-64 | 501298 (40.83) | 222 (23.59) | (0.04) | 30655 (56.91) | 179 (7.96) | (0.58) | 890 (58.71) | 78 (91.77) | (8.76) |
| ≥65 | 725586 (59.10) | 392 (41.66) | (0.05) | 17063 (31.68) | 34 (1.51) | (0.20) | 602 (39.71) | 6 (7.06) | (1.00) |
| Sex | |||||||||
| Male | 630357 (51.35) | 410 (43.57) | (0.07) | 23268 (43.19) | 1312 (58.36) | (5.64) | 644 (42.48) | 3 (3.53) | (0.47) |
| Female | 597309 (48.65) | 531 (56.43) | (0.09) | 30600 (56.81) | 936 (41.64) | (3.06) | 872 (57.52) | 82 (96.47) | (9.40) |
| Insurance type | |||||||||
| NHI | 1141619 (92.99) | 891 (94.69) | (0.08) | 51010 (94.69) | 2204 (98.04) | (4.32) | 1304 (86.02) | 81 (95.29) | (6.21) |
| MedAid/PVI | 86047 (7.01) | 50 (5.31) | (0.06) | 2858 (5.31) | 44 (1.96) | (1.54) | 212 (13.98) | 4 (4.71) | (1.89) |
| Type of healthcare service provider | |||||||||
| Tertiary care | 91046 (7.42) | 147 (15.62) | (0.16) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 | 14 (0.92) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 |
| Secondary care | 311114 (25.34) | 197 (20.94) | (0.06) | 1403 (2.61) | 24 (1.07) | (1.71) | 56 (3.69) | 2 (2.35) | (3.57) |
| Primary care | 825506 (67.24) | 597 (63.44) | (0.07) | 52465 (97.40) | 2224 (98.93) | (4.24) | 1446 (95.38) | 83 (97.65) | (5.74) |
| Diagnosis | |||||||||
| Respiratory disease† | 19531 (1.59) | 144 (15.30) | (0.74) | 12095 (22.45) | 1688 (75.09) | (13.96) | 67 (4.42) | 1 (1.18) | (1.49) |
| CVD‡ | 995269 (81.07) | 382 (40.60) | (0.04) | 1212 (2.25) | 1 (0.04) | (0.08) | 149 (9.83) | 2 (2.35) | (1.34) |
| Musculoskeletal D. |
43388 (3.53) | 35 (3.72) | (0.08) | 23428 (43.49) | 135 (6.00) | (0.58) | 1022 (67.41) | 2 (2.35) | (0.20) |
| Eye and adnexa D. | 3263 (0.27) | 3 (0.32) | (0.09) | 4343 (8.06) | 220 (9.79) | (5.07) | 1 (0.07) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 |
| Kawasaki disease | 74 (0.01) | 37 (3.93) | (50.0) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0.00 |
| Targeted comorbidity | |||||||||
| Gastrointestinal D.§ | 453262 (36.92) | 348 (36.98) | (0.08) | 30305 (56.26) | 342 (15.21) | (1.13) | 1371 (90.44) | 80 (94.12) | (5.84) |
MedAid, Medical Aid; NHI, National Health Insurance; PVI, Patriots & Veterans Insurance; CVD, cardiovascular disease; D., disorder
⁋The rate of tablet-splitting prescription was calculated as follows: (the number of tablet-splitting prescriptions/the number of total prescriptions) X 100.
†Respiratory disease includes infections and inflammation of upper and lower respiratory system.
‡CVD includes hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic heart disease, and diseases of arteries.
#Musculoskeletal D. includes arthritis, myositis, injury, and back pain.
§Gastrointestinal D. includes esophagitis, gastritis, duodenitis, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, functional dyspepsia, and peptic ulcers.