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Published Online: September 2011

Characteristics Associated With Purchasing Antidepressant or Antianxiety Medications Through Primary Care in Israel

Abstract

Objectives:

This study analyzed the role of patient and physician characteristics associated with the purchase of antidepressant or antianxiety medications in Israel, a country that has a universal health care system.

Methods:

A national sample of 30,000 primary care patients over the age of 22 was randomly drawn from the registry of the largest health care fund in Israel. Data concerning medication purchase between January and December 2006 were extracted. Physician and patient characteristics were merged with Israel's unique identification number. Multilevel analysis was conducted to identify patient- and physician-level predictors of medication purchase.

Results:

Overall, 19% (N=4,762) of the sample purchased antidepressant or antianxiety medications. Individuals with greater general medical and psychiatric comorbidity were more likely to purchase antidepressant or antianxiety medications. Older adults, women, those of higher socioeconomic status, and immigrants (with the exception of Jews born in Asia or Africa) were also more likely to purchase medications. Arabs and Jews born in Asia and Africa were less likely to purchase medications even after all other variables were accounted for. Physician characteristics were minimally associated with the purchase of medications.

Conclusions:

The findings demonstrate that despite universal health care access, there were variations by population groups. Educational efforts should target patients as well as physicians. (Psychiatric Services 62:1041–1046, 2011)

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Table 1 Patient and physician characteristics by whether or not antidepressant or antianxiety medications were purchased
Table 2 Logistic regression analysis of patient-level predictors of purchase of antidepressant or antianxiety medications

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Cover: Approaching Thunder Storm, by Martin Johnson Heade, 1859. Oil on canvas, 28 × 44 inches. Gift of Erving Wolf Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Erving Wolf, 1975. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource, New York.
Psychiatric Services
Pages: 1041 - 1046
PubMed: 21885582

History

Published in print: September 2011
Published online: 14 January 2015

Authors

Details

Liat Ayalon, Ph.D. [email protected]
Prof. Ayalon is affiliated with the Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel ([email protected]), where the late Prof. Gross was affiliated.
Revital Gross, Ph.D. [email protected]
Prof. Ayalon is affiliated with the Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel ([email protected]), where the late Prof. Gross was affiliated.
Prof. Gross was also with the Department of Management, Bar Ilan University.
Aviv Yaari, M.D.
Dr. Yaari and Mr. Feldhamer are with the Clalit Health Services and Clalit Research Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Elan Feldhamer, B.A.
Dr. Yaari and Mr. Feldhamer are with the Clalit Health Services and Clalit Research Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ran Balicer, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Balicer is with the Chief Physician Office, Clalit Health Services, and with the Epidemiology Department at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Margalit Goldfracht, M.D.
Dr. Goldfracht is with the Community Division, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, and with Department of Family Health Care, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.

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