Prescribing behaviour after the introduction of decentralized drug budgets: is there an association with employer and type of care facility?

OBJECTIVE: To analyse whether prescribing patterns changed after introduction of drug budgets and whether there is an association between drug prescribing patterns and the type of employer and care facility.
METHODS: Data analysed encompassed information on dispensed medicines, by workplaces, prescribed in the Region Vastra Gotaland, Sweden, for the years 2003 and 2006. Workplaces (n = 969) were categorized according to type of employer and type of care facility. Five prescribing indicators reflecting goals for cost-containing prescribing in Region Vastra Gotaland were assessed. Changes over time and differences between different types of employer and care facility were analysed by Mann-Whitney tests.
RESULTS: In 2003, workplaces with a public employer had a significantly higher adherence to three of the prescribing indicators compared with private practitioners. Two of these differences remained in 2006. In 2003, none of the prescribing indicators differed between primary care and other care facilities. Three years later workplaces in primary care had a significantly higher adherence to three of the prescribing indicators than other care facilities. There was a statistically significant difference in change between 2003 and 2006 between primary care and other care facilities; there were no differences in change between workplaces with public and private employers.
CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to three of the prescribing indicators increased after the introduction of decentralized drug budgets. Workplaces with a public employer showed greater adherence to two of the prescribing indicators than private sector workplaces.