some medications are referred to as "maintenance medications".
Taking a cholesterol med to keep the numbers right or better. The alternative, do no maintenance/preventative meds and wait for a potential catastrophic event?
It would be nice to be able to see a breakout of the data describing differing categories of meds i.e long term maintenance-no medical event, maintenance-post medical event both short term and long term, temporary medication, meds for peace of mind (or something like that...not really sick or needed), et al.
It may not change the overall health outlook but would provide an improved understanding of the often described "health" of the patient.
Another factor to consider, for some, is the fact that the resident is covered by some sort of insurance private or medicare or other. Allowing more frequent visits of a non critical or just in case type visit resulting in a just in case type Rx (difficult to really define or apply!!!).
And if it would be possible to see data that would do some breakdown like the above but by income levels. I do not think there would be any doubt the lower the income the less doctor visits and less medication use would follow. In the lower income categories there would no doubt be those who should be on meds but cannot afford them and there would also be those who do not need any meds and because they cannot afford to go to the doctor in the first place.....are better off than a counterpart in a higher income.
Just a lot of different ways, as usual, to look at data...to make a case or not.
btk
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