Table 3.
Characteristics of Clinical Care in Visits for Itch (2005–2009)
| % of Visits for Itch (95% CI) (N=1,120) | % of Visits Not for Itch (95% CI) (N=147,737) | P-value | % of Visits to Dermatologists for Itch (95% CI) (N=370) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Frequency of services | ||||
| New prescription | 68.1 (64.1–71.9) | 35.8 (34.7–36.8) | <0.01 | 61.1 (53.2–68.4) |
| Blood testa | 12.3 (9.5–15.7) | 20.4 (19.6–21.2) | <0.01 | 2.3b (1.3–3.9) |
| Biopsy | 4.4 (3.2–6.1) | 1.3 (1.1–1.4) | <0.01 | 12.4 (8.8–17.1) |
| Wound Care | 2.3 (1.5–3.6) | 1.9 (1.7–2.1) | 0.43 | 4.7b (2.6–8.4) |
| Excision | 6.7 (5.3–8.6) | 2.1 (1.9–2.3) | <0.01 | 21.0 (16.7–25.9) |
|
| ||||
| Number of new medications prescribed (N=148,857) | ||||
| 0 | 31.9 (28.1–35.9) | 64.3 (63.2–65.3) | <0.01 | 38.9 (31.6–46.8) |
| 1 | 37.0 (33.1–41.1) | 21.9 (21.4–22.5) | <0.01 | 33.6 (27.9–39.8) |
| 2+ | 31.1 (27.1–35.5) | 13.8 (13.1–14.5) | <0.01 | 27.5 (21.4–34.5) |
a
Includes CBC, electrolytes, cholesterol, glucose, HgA1C, PSA, and other blood tests
b
Number of observations is too small to be reliable