Table 10_3_1-2a

2008 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports

The National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) is a comprehensive national overview of quality of health care in the United States. It is organized around four dimensions of quality of care: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, and patient centeredness.

Table 10_3_1.2a
Adults age 65 and over who received at least 1 of 33 potentially inappropriate prescription medications^a in the calendar year, by race, United States, 2005
Population group		Total		Single race										Multiple races
		Total		White		Black		Asian		NHOPI		AI/AN		Multiple races
		Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE	Percent	SE
Total		17.7	0.7	17.3	0.8	18.6	1.8	20.3	5.0	*	*	*	*	*	*
Age	65–69	18.4	1.3	18.2	1.5	17.1	3.3	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	70–74	18.1	1.5	17.7	1.6	22.6	4.5	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	75–79	19.6	1.9	19.0	2.0	18.7	4.6	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	80 and over	15.0	1.1	14.9	1.2	17.1	3.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Gender	Male	14.3	1.1	13.5	1.1	14.6	2.9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Gender	Female	20.2	1.0	20.2	1.1	21.1	2.5	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Family income^b	Negative/poor	19.3	2.0	19.6	2.5	22.1	3.1	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Near poor/low	19.6	1.4	18.2	1.4	20.7	3.7	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Middle	16.7	1.4	16.5	1.5	17.6	4.0	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	High	16.4	1.2	16.8	1.3	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Education^c	Less than high school	19.1	1.3	18.4	1.5	19.8	2.7	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	High school graduate	18.3	1.2	18.0	1.3	17.4	3.5	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	At least some college	16.3	1.2	16.1	1.4	19.2	4.3	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Health insurance	Medicare only	16.8	1.4	16.7	1.6	15.8	3.3	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Medicare and private	17.3	0.9	17.2	0.9	19.8	3.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Medicare and other public	21.7	2.0	21.0	2.6	20.8	3.1	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Residence location^d	Metropolitan	17.1	0.8	16.6	0.9	17.9	1.9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Large central metro	19.1	1.4	19.8	1.7	16.4	2.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Large fringe metro	14.1	1.5	13.4	1.5	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Medium metro	18.4	1.7	17.1	1.7	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Small metro	15.0	2.7	14.4	2.9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Nonmetropolitan	19.9	1.8	20.0	1.9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Micropolitan	18.2	2.2	17.8	2.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Noncore	23.0	2.8	24.1	3.0	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Language spoken most often at home	English	18.0	0.8	17.7	0.9	19.2	1.9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Language spoken most often at home	Other	16.4	2.6	13.9	2.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Perceived health status	Excellent/very good/good	15.8	0.8	15.5	0.9	17.5	2.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Perceived health status	Fair/poor	23.6	1.6	23.5	1.8	20.9	3.0	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Activity limitations^d	Basic activities	23.8	1.2	22.9	1.3	26.8	2.9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Complex activities	26.8	2.2	26.9	2.5	27.0	4.3	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Neither basic nor complex activities	14.4	0.9	14.3	1.0	12.8	2.4	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

^a Prescription medications received includes all prescribed medications initially purchased or otherwise obtained during calendar year, as well as any refills.

^b Negative/poor refers to household incomes below the Federal poverty line; near poor/low, over the poverty line to just below 200 percent of the poverty line; middle, 200 percent to just below 400 percent of the poverty line; and high, 400 percent of the poverty line and over.

^c Less than high school refers to fewer than 12 years of education; high school graduate, 12 years of education; and at least some college, more than 12 years of education.

^d For more information, see the MEPS entry in Appendix A.

* - Data do not meet the criteria for statistical reliability, data quality, or confidentiality.

Key: AI/AN: American Indian or Alaska Native; NHOPI: Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; SE: standard error.

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Current as of September 2009

Internet Citation: Table 10_3_1-2a: 2008 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. September 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr08/10_patientsafety/T10_3_1-2a.html