Researchers: Yair Sadaka^1,2, Joseph Meyerovitch³, Lior Wolf³, Arriel Benis⁴

Background: Growing medication costs, especially for those with chronic conditions, continue to financially burden health care delivery systems. To better evaluate costs and allocate funds more effectively, understanding of medication use among patients with chronic diseases is critical. In particular, there is a need to study these issues in children.

Objectives: This study analyzes trends in purchased prescription for 60 days or more of medications considered psycho-behavioral and medications considered non-psycho-behavioral treatments.

Method: This is a retrospective study. Data was extracted from the Clalit Health Services data warehouse in 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019 with approximately 1,500,000 children aged 0-18 in each examined year. Medication classes were identified using the ATC code and was considered psycho-behavioral treatment (ATC N06-N05( and non psycho-behavior treatment for all others.

Findings: Purchased prescriptions of chronic medications are more prevalent for children 0-1 and 16-18 years. from the age of 6 years and on the most common ATC group is N (Nervous System), specifically N06 (Psychoanaleptics) and N05 (Psycholeptics). While the purchased of non N chronic medications increased in only 2.65% between 2010 and 2019 from 70.06 per 1000 children to 71.97 per 1000 children, purchased of N chronic medications increased in 23.75% from 52.40 per 1000 children to 68.72 per 1000 children, (Chi squared equals 14641.147; P <0.0001).

Conclusions: There is an increase in chronic medication use in children throw-out the last decade. This trend is most prominent in psycho-behavior medications

Recommendations: This analysis indicates the expected trends in the coming years regarding chronic medical treatments in children, and enable better planning of resources needed not only for chronic medical treatment, but also of relevant manpower, efficient diagnostic procedures, and availability of related non-medical treatments.

Research end date: 11/2021