Health Disparities: Statin Prescribing Patterns Among Patients with Diabetes in a Family Medicine Clinic

PURPOSE: To analyze the impact of gender and race on statin prescribing patterns in patients with diabetes in a family medicine clinic. METHODS: This study (n=192) was a single-center, cross-sectional study that examined statin prescribing patterns at a family medicine clinic. Patients were obtained from January 2015 to November 2018, who were considered eligible for statin therapy based on a documented diagnosis of diabetes. The patients were divided into four subgroups for analysis (white males, non-white males, white females, and non-white females). RESULTS: Females were found to have higher rates of prescribed statin therapy and appropriate statin intensity therapy when compared to males (p>0.05). When evaluating gender and race, white females were more likely to be prescribed an appropriate statin when compared to non-white females (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The study shows that although males had a significantly higher mean 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score, they were less likely than females to receive the appropriate intensity statin. Previous studies have shown race and gender disparities exist in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A more collective, unified approach to improve prescribing patterns for statin therapy can eliminate these disparities.