An analysis of the diagnoses and prescription for chronic patients at a health center

To find out if there are differences between inhabitants ages 14-64 with prescription charge (group A), pensioners ages 14-64 without prescription charge (group B), and pensioners aged over 64 without prescription charge (group C), related with chronic morbidity, associated treatment and costs data. A crossover descriptive study (1995). Urban primary health care centre. Participants are inhabitants 14 and over assigned to this health centre (12,605), included in a data bank register, patients are participants with at least a chronic diagnostic (7,007). Participants data were transferred to a practice computer system. Three groups (above) were established according to age band and prescription charge status: group A (73.6% participants), B (8.4%), and C (18%). Inhabitants ages 14-64 without prescription charge were a differentiated group related with number of chronic diagnoses, number of items to chronic treatment prescribed, and annual average chronically drug costs. So they are intended for use in the future in allocation of budgets to primary health care centres.