Table 4. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for association of prescribing inappropriate splitting drugs and physician specialty.
| Prescriber Specialty | Gliclazide MR tab 30 mg (Diamicron®) | Metformin ER tab 500 mg (Ansures®) | Fluvastatin XL tab 80 mg (Lescol®) | Felodipine ER tab 5 mg (Plendil®) | Alprazolam XR tab 0.5 mg (Xanax®) | Bupropion XL tab 150 mg (Wellbutrin®) | ||||||
| ORa | 95% CI | ORa | 95% CI | ORb | 95% CI | ORa | 95% CI | ORc | 95% CI | ORa | 95% CI | |
| Metabolism & endocrinology | 8.45* | (2.69–26.50) | 7.76* | (1.87–32.18) | 1d | 3.43* | (1.45–8.11) | 11.32 | (0.99–129.99) | – | ||
| Cardiology | 7.75* | (2.45–24.57) | 1d | 0.83 | (0.42–1.67) | 1d | 30.42* | (4.08–227.02) | – | |||
| General medicine | 6.99* | (2.19–22.33) | 2.25 | (0.46–10.94) | 2.26* | (1.21–4.22) | 1.03 | (0.35–3.01) | – | 7.92 | (0.89–70.69) | |
| Neurology | 1d | 4.42 | (0.91–21.51) | – | 3.57* | (1.51–8.42) | 5.55 | (0.67–45.67) | 1d | |||
| Psychiatry | – | – | – | 4.91* | (1.06–22.75) | 1d | 5.80 | (0.76–44.05) | ||||
| Nephrology | 19.79* | (6.01–65.18) | 4.85 | (0.43–55.31) | 2.37* | (0.93–−6.04) | 1.56 | (0.43–5.71) | – | –e | ||
| Surgery | 5.64* | (1.44–22.16) | – | 4.78* | (1.51–15.11) | 5.75* | (2.07–15.97) | 17.62* | (2.21–140.41) | – | ||
| Others | 5.56* | (1.68–18.46) | 1.44 | (0.20–10.50) | – | – | 0.43 | (0.03–6.98) | 22.23* | (2.08–237.96) | ||
Multiple logistic regression, Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test: all p>0.05.
a
Adjusted by age and sex.
b
Female, adjusted by age, sex, sex and physician specialty interactions.
c
Age 18–64 yrs, adjusted by age, sex, age and physician specialty interactions.
d
The physician specialty which has the lowest proportion of prescriptions with inappropriate splitting.
e
Data was excluded due to small sample size (n/N = 4/5).
*
p<0.05.