The Evaluation of GI Medication Treatment Pattern and Duration Associated with NSAID Therapy

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this retrospective drug utilization study was to assess the GI medication use pattern and to identify factors influencing the length of GI medication therapy associated with NSAID use in a managed care plan. Data for this study were from a pharmacy benefits manager's 15-month claims file dated October 1995 through January 1997. Patients (N = 454) who had no record of previous GI medication use prior to NSAID therapy were the focus of this study. Main outcome measures included the elapsed time between the initiation of NSAID use and the subsequent initiation of GI therapy and the length of GI drug therapy.The GI medication treatment pattern was analyzed with descriptive analysis, and the duration of GI therapy was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Factors affecting the length of GI treatment period were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The results of this study indicated that a significant portion of patients started on GI medications without clear indication of...