Who prescribes drugs to patients: A Danish register-based study

Anton Pottegård, Morten Olesen, Bo Christensen, Morten Bondo Christensen, Jesper Hallas, Lotte Rasmussen, Anton Pottegård, Morten Olesen, Bo Christensen, Morten Bondo Christensen, Jesper Hallas, Lotte Rasmussen

Abstract

We describe the distribution of prescriber types responsible for issuing prescriptions in Denmark. Using a 20% random sample of all Danes alive during 2000-2018 (n = 1 515 025) and all their prescriptions filled at community pharmacies (n = 182 143 707), we found that general practitioners issued 88% of all prescriptions, followed by hospital physicians (7.4%) and private practicing specialists (4.2%). These values were stable over the study period. With increasing patient age, general practitioners were responsible for a larger proportion of prescriptions (e.g. 68% for patients aged 0-17 y and 89% for patients ≥51 y). General practitioners were responsible for 84% of all treatment initiation (first prescription) and 90% of all maintenance treatment. Corresponding values for hospital physicians were 9.5 and 6.3%, and for private practicing specialists 5.3 and 3.6%. In conclusion, general practitioners are responsible for the vast majority of prescribing in Denmark, including both treatment initiation and continuation, in particular among the elderly.

Keywords: clinical pharmacology; drug utilisation; epidemiology; pharmacoepidemiology; pharmacotherapy; prescribing.

Conflict of interest statement

There are no competing interests to declare.

© 2021 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society..

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Proportion of prescriptions issued by different prescriber types in Denmark from 2000 to 2018. GP, general practitioner
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Proportion of prescriptions prescribed by different prescriber types in Denmark in 2018, according to age group. GP, general practitioner

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