Data from: Using big data to assess prescribing patterns in Greece: the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the top leading causes of death and disability, and its management is focused on reducing risk factors, relieving symptoms, and preventing exacerbations. The study aim was to describe COPD prescribing patterns in Greece by using existing health administrative data for outpatients. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study based on prescriptions collected by the largest social insurance fund, during the first and last trimester of 2012. Selection criteria were the prescription of specific active substances and a COPD diagnosis. Extracted information included active substance, strength, pharmaceutical form and number of packages prescribed, diagnosis, time of dispensing, as well as insurees' age, gender, percentage of co-payment and social security unique number. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: 174,357 patients received medicines for COPD during the study period. Patients were almost equally distributed between male and female, and age above 55 years was strongly correlated with COPD. Most patients received a long-acting beta agonist plus inhaled corticosteroid combination (LABA +ICS), followed by long-acting muscarinic agonist (LAMA). 63% patients belonging in the 35-54 age received LABA+ICS. LAMA was prescribed more frequently among males and was strongly correlated with COPD. Conclusion: The study provides big data analysis of Greek COPD prescribing patterns. It highlights the need for appropriate COPD classification in primary care illustrating the role of electronic prescribing in ensuring appropriate prescribing. Moreover, it indicates possible gender differences in treatment response or disease severity, and the impact of statutory co-payments on prescribing.引言：慢性阻塞性肺疾病（Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD）是全球致死与致残的主要病因之一，其临床管理核心在于降低危险因素、缓解症状以及预防急性加重。本研究旨在利用希腊门诊患者的现有卫生行政数据，描述该国慢阻肺的处方模式。 方法：本研究为回顾性横断面研究，数据取自希腊最大社会保险基金在2012年第一与第四季度收集的处方信息。纳入标准为处方包含特定活性物质且伴有慢阻肺诊断。提取的信息涵盖活性成分、剂量规格、剂型、处方药品包数、诊断结果、配药时间，以及参保者的年龄、性别、自付比例和社会保障唯一标识号。统计分析方法包括描述性统计与逻辑回归分析。 结果：研究期间共有174357名患者接受慢阻肺治疗药物。患者性别分布近乎均衡，且55岁以上人群与慢阻肺的相关性显著。多数患者接受长效β受体激动剂联合吸入性糖皮质激素（long-acting beta agonist plus inhaled corticosteroid, LABA+ICS）治疗，其次为长效毒蕈碱受体拮抗剂（long-acting muscarinic agonist, LAMA）。35至54岁年龄段的患者中，63%接受了LABA+ICS方案。LAMA在男性患者中的处方频次更高，且与慢阻肺的相关性显著。 结论：本研究基于大数据分析了希腊慢阻肺的处方模式，强调了基层医疗中对慢阻肺进行精准分类的必要性，同时阐明了电子处方在保障合理用药中的作用。此外，本研究还提示了治疗应答或疾病严重程度可能存在的性别差异，以及法定自付费用对处方行为的影响。