Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Changes in Zolpidem Use Due to Media Broadcasts

Bo-Ram Yang, Kyu-Nam Heo, Yun Mi Yu, Ga-Bin Yeom, Hye Duck Choi, Ju-Yeun Lee and Young-Mi Ah
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Bo-Ram Yang: College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Kyu-Nam Heo: College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Yun Mi Yu: Department of Pharmacy and Yonsei Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Korea
Ga-Bin Yeom: College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Hye Duck Choi: College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Ju-Yeun Lee: College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Young-Mi Ah: College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-12

Abstract: Media has become a major source of information on health and plays a role in the decision-making process on health topics. We aimed to evaluate the association between zolpidem use and media broadcasts that reported the suicide risk. We obtained the data of adult outpatients who have been prescribed zolpidem or other hypnotics from the National Patient Sample database (2015–2017). We evaluated the change in zolpidem or other hypnotic prescription trends based on the prescription rate and average daily prescribed dose before and after July 2016, using interrupted time series analysis. A total of 129,787 adult patients had at least one zolpidem prescription in 3 years. The prescription rate of zolpidem after the broadcast decreased significantly by 0.178% (95% confidence interval (CI): ?0.214, ?0.142), whereas that of other hypnotic users did not differ from that before the broadcast (?0.020%, 95% CI: ?0.088, 0.047). However, the trends in the prescription rate before and after the broadcast did not differ for zolpidem and other hypnotics. Broadcasting medication safety through major public media could have an effect on medication use. After broadcasting about the suicide risk of zolpidem, its overall prescription rate decreased immediately, but the trend was not changed.

Keywords: zolpidem; broadcast; medication safety; interrupted time series analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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