%0 Journal Article
%T Differences in pharmaceutical consumption and expenses between immigrant and Spanish-born populations in Lleida, (Spain): A 6-months prospective observational study
%A Montserrat Rue
%A Maria-Catalina Serna
%A Jorge Soler-Gonzalez
%A Anna Bosch
%A Maria-Cristina Ruiz-Magaz
%A Leonardo Galvan
%J BMC Health Services Research
%D 2008
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6963-8-35
%X Prospective observational study in 1,630 immigrants and 4,154 Spanish-born individuals visited by fifteen primary care physicians at five public Primary Care Clinics (PCC) during 2005 in the city of Lleida, Catalonia (Spain). Data on pharmaceutical consumption and expenses was obtained from a comprehensive computerized data-collection system. Multinomial regression models were used to estimate relative risks and confidence intervals of pharmaceutical expenditure, adjusting for age and sex.The percentage of individuals that purchased medications during a six-month period was 53.7% in the immigrant group and 79.2% in the autochthonous group. Pharmaceutical expenses and consumption were lower in immigrants than in autochthonous patients in all age groups and both genders. The relative risks of being in the highest quartile of expenditure, for Spanish-born versus immigrants, were 6.9, 95% CI = (4.2, 11.5) in men and 5.3, 95% CI = (3.5, 8.0) in women, with the reference category being not having any pharmaceutical expenditure.Pharmaceutical expenses are much lower for immigrants with respect to autochthonous patients, both in the percentage of prescriptions filled at pharmacies and the number of containers of medication obtained, as well as the prices of the medications used. Future studies should explore which factors explain the observed differences in pharmaceutical expenses and if these disparities produce health inequalities.Immigration in Spain has increased dramatically in the last decade. In 1996, immigrants represented 1.4% of the total Spanish population, and by 2006 had reached 10.8% [1].In Spain, there is a National Health System (NHS), financed mainly by taxes, which provides universal and free health coverage including primary, specialized and hospital health care [2]. Primary care physicians represent the entry point to the health system. In Spain, immigrants may register in their municipality of residence to have access to health care, regardless of their
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/8/35