Tennyson DH. Predicting medication costs and usage: expenditures in a juvenile detention facility.
JOURNAL OF CORRECTIONAL HEALTH CARE 2009;
15:98-104; quiz 159. [PMID:
19477814 DOI:
10.1177/1078345808330036]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This retrospective study examined prescription medication records for 1 year in a county-funded juvenile detention facility. Findings show that 7% of the detained youths were prescribed psychotherapeutic agents, which accounted for approximately 83% of the annual medication budget. Of the 799 male and 227 female detained youths, 14% of the males and 27% of the females were prescribed medications, with some prescribed as many as 23 different medications during their short-term stay. More than 93% of the total medication costs were accounted for by psychotherapeutic agents, antibiotics, and allergy/asthma medications at an average monthly cost of $46.50 per youth. Male youths who were prescribed medications cost $324 per month; their female counterparts cost $170 per month.
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