Table 1.
Selected characteristics (weighted column %) of adults ages 65 and older by anticholinergic prescription status in office-based outpatient visits, 2006–2015.
| Anticholinergic prescription (%) | Total | P-value† | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| No | Yes | |||
| Sample size | ||||
| Unweighted sample | 91,120 | 5,876 | 96,996 | |
| Weighted visits | 221,095,517 | 14,602,357 | 235,697,874 | |
|
| ||||
| Age | ||||
| 65–74 | 51.2 | 49.7 | 51.1 | 0.171 |
| 75–84 | 35.8 | 36.1 | 35.9 | |
| 85+ | 13.0 | 14.2 | 13.0 | |
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 56.2 | 70.1 | 57.0 | <0.001 |
| Male | 43.8 | 29.9 | 43.0 | |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 79.1 | 79.3 | 79.1 | 0.639 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 7.9 | 7.8 | 7.9 | |
| Hispanic | 8.2 | 8.9 | 8.3 | |
| Other a) | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | |
| Region | ||||
| Northeast | 19.8 | 17.3 | 19.6 | 0.030 |
| Midwest | 19.3 | 20.2 | 19.3 | |
| South | 38.4 | 41.5 | 38.5 | |
| West | 22.6 | 21.1 | 22.5 | |
| Primary source of payment | ||||
| Private | 15.9 | 14.0 | 15.8 | 0.116 |
| Medicare | 79.4 | 81.0 | 79.5 | |
| Medicaid | 2.6 | 2.9 | 2.6 | |
| Other b) | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.1 | |
| Reason for visit | ||||
| Acute problem | 25.7 | 26.7 | 25.7 | <0.001 |
| Routine chronic problem | 53.0 | 56.1 | 53.2 | |
| Preventive care | 12.6 | 11.5 | 12.6 | |
| Pre- or post-surgery | 8.7 | 5.7 | 8.5 | |
| Physician specialty | ||||
| Primary care | 39.1 | 53.1 | 39.9 | <0.001 |
| Psychiatry | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.4 | |
| Neurology | 1.6 | 2.7 | 1.7 | |
| Urology | 3.7 | 6.4 | 3.9 | |
| Other c) | 54.4 | 35.4 | 53.2 | |
| Repeat of visits in the past 12 months | ||||
| 0 visit | 6.3 | 4.6 | 6.2 | <0.001 |
| 1–2 visits | 35.4 | 32.5 | 35.2 | |
| 3–5 visits | 33.6 | 33.3 | 33.6 | |
| 6+ visits | 24.7 | 29.5 | 25.0 | |
| Time spent with doctor | ||||
| < 15 min. | 18.2 | 15.9 | 18.1 | 0.062 |
| 15–20 min. | 49.1 | 49.5 | 49.1 | |
| 21–30 min. | 21.0 | 22.3 | 21.1 | |
| > 30 min. | 11.7 | 12.2 | 11.7 | |
| ≥2 chronic conditions d) | 57.7 | 68.2 | 58.4 | <0.001 |
| ≥6 medications | 29.5 | 67.5 | 31.9 | <0.001 |
| Visit diagnosis | ||||
| Allergic conditions | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0.920 |
| Chronic respiratory diseases | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 0.659 |
| Irritable bowel syndromes | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.282 |
| Overactive bladder or urinary incontinence | 0.5 | 2.9 | 0.6 | <0.001 |
| Neuropathic pain | 1.5 | 3.3 | 1.6 | <0.001 |
| Parkinsonism, dyskinesia, or dystonia | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.010 |
| Vertigo or motion sickness | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.9 | <0.001 |
| Cognitive impairment or dementia | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.916 |
| Other psychiatric disorders | 3.3 | 8.3 | 3.6 | <0.001 |
| Other psychiatric disorders (with potential anticholinergic burden) | 1.7 | 2.8 | 1.8 | <0.001 |
| Insomnia | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.6 | <0.001 |
| Dry mouth, blurry vision, fatigue, hypersomnia, or tachycardia | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.147 |
| Constipation | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.140 |
Note:
compares proportion differences by anticholinergic prescription using a weight-corrected, Bonferroni-adjusted chi-squared statistic.
includes Asians, American Indian/Alaska Natives (AIANs), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI), or 2+ reported racial/ethnic groups;
includes worker’s compensation, self-pay, no charge, and others;
includes obstetrics/gynecology, cardiovascular diseases, dermatology, urology, neurology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and others; and
was based 14 chronic conditions (yes/no) collected by the NAMCS (e.g., arthritis, congestive heart failure, and diabetes).