Summary
This data collection is part of a series of surveys that gather information on patients' visits to a national sample of office-based physicians. The Drug Mentions files of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys offer information on all drugs/medications ordered, administered, or provided during the visits. Data items include the medication code, generic name and code, brand name, entry status, prescription status, federal controlled substance status, composition status, related ingredient codes, and demographic items such as age, sex, race, and ethnicity of the patient.
Citation
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Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage
Restrictions
In preparing the data tape(s) for this collection, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has removed direct identifiers and characteristics that might lead to identification of data subjects. As an additional precaution, NCHS requires, under Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m), that data collected by NCHS not be used for any purpose other than statistical analysis and reporting. NCHS further requires that analysts not use the data to learn the identity of any persons or establishments and that the director of NCHS be notified if any identities are inadvertently discovered. ICPSR member institutions and other users ordering data from ICPSR are expected to adhere to these restrictions.
Sample
Stratified multistage probability design. In the first stage, the PSUs were selected by a modified probability proportional-to-size procedure using separate sampling frames for Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs) and for nonmetropolitan counties. The second stage consisted of a probability sample of practicing physicians selected from the master files maintained by the AMA and AOA. Within each PSU, all eligible physicians were stratified by 15 specialty groups. The final stage was the selection of patient visits within the annual practices of sample physicians. This involved two steps. First, the total physician sample was divided into 52, with each physician randomly assigned to one of the 52 weeks in the survey year. Second, a systematic random sample of visits was selected by the physician during the assigned week.
Universe
Office visits to nonfederally-employed physicians classified by the American Medical Association (AMA) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) as "office-based, patient care" (excluding the specialties of anesthesiology, pathology, and radiology), from 112 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) in the United States.
Data Source
self-enumerated forms, DRUG PRODUCT INFORMATION FILE, and NATIONAL DRUG CODE DIRECTORY
survey data
Original Release Date
1995-06-05
Version Date
1995-06-05
Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

This study is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), the aging program within ICPSR. NACDA is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Heath (NIH).