[Consumption of home enteral nutrition products in the Autonomous Community of Madrid]

Nutr Hosp. 2002 Mar-Apr;17(2):107-11.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

The purpose of the present paper is to identify the changes in the consumption of home enteral nutrition products paid for by the National Health System in the light of the amendments to the regulations governing this service within the scope of the Madrid Regional Community. To this end, the official Social Security forms prescribing these products have been studied for the months of October, 1998, May, 1999, and May, 2000. These have been classified by brand names the number of units and cost have been tabulated. With the data obtained from this analysis, progress has been studied in terms of the following points: type of product, number of units, cost of each and share of consumption by manufacturers. The conclusion that can be drawn from the results obtained is that, since the start of the trend for increased consumption of this kind of product in November, 1998, this trend has continued upwards both in terms of the number of units and their cost. Greater diversification can be seen in the products used, with a reduction in the prescription of those items which were financed almost exclusively by the system prior to the change in the regulations, and this has to some extent constrained the displacement of consumption towards the different distribution brands and considerably increasing the consumption of those products considered more specific and therefore with a higher mean cost. Furthermore, as these products are covered by the Spanish Defence of Competition Act, in other words, the market price is not restricted, there are significant differences in the prices invoiced for the same product depending on the pharmacy outlet dispensing it.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Enteral Nutrition / statistics & numerical data*
  • Food, Formulated / statistics & numerical data*
  • Home Care Services
  • Humans
  • Spain
  • Urban Population