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Table 2 A comparison of secondary and tertiary hospitals regarding the availability, number and cost of essential medicines

From: A cross-sectional analysis of prescription and stakeholder surveys following essential medicine reform in Guangdong Province, China

Hospital (n Rx)

EMs/Rx number (%)

EM number

Total drug number

EMs/Rx cost (%)

EM cost (RMB)

Total Rx cost (RMB)

Hypertension (r = −0.344)#

Secondary

80

2

3

73

44.7

98.1

(1058)

(50–100)

(1–3)

(2–4)

(32–100)

(15.9-92.7)

(42.9-178.22)

Tertiary

50**

1**

3

34**

51.24

184.9**

(1387)

(25–75)

(1–2)

(2–4)

(4–82)

(7.1-133.5)

(98.6-329.2)

Diabetes (r = −0.200)

Secondary

80

2

3

91

74.9

128.8

(1164)

(50–100)

(1–3)

(2–4)

(41–100)

(24.6-167.2)

(63.9-245.3)

Tertiary

50**

1**

2

53**

100.1*

231.1**

(1686)

(25–100)

(1–2)

(1–4)

(8–100)

(14.9-212.4)

(133.9-384.9)

Gout (r = −0.477)

Secondary

75

2

3

77

17.7

35.6

(956)

(50–100)

(1–3)

(2–4)

(21–100)

(5.2-30.2)

(20.9-68.3)

Tertiary

40**

1**

3

5**

4.0**

99.2**

(1119)

(0–60)

(0–2)

(2–4)

(0–24)

(0–19.9)

(50.3-182.0)

Bacterial infections (r = −0.282)

Secondary

60

2

3

47

31.2

85.7

(1196)

(40–80)

(1–3)

(2–5)

(13–92)

(9.8-66.9)

(51.85-131.4)

Tertiary

50**

1**

3**

30**

22.4**

99.8**

(1375)

(20–80)

(1–2)

(2–4)

(1–97)

(0.8-62.3)

(55.9-180.1)

  1. Rx = prescription; EMs = essential medicines.#Spearman correlation coefficient between the ratio of EMs and prescription medicine costs in upper-level hospitals (p < 0.001).
  2. On June 1, 2012, at the beginning of the survey, the conversion rate was RMB 6.33 to USD 1.00. Data are shown as medians (25th–75th interquartile range). *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 compared with secondary hospitals.