Table 3 The weekly prescription and consultation rates per 1000 community-dwelling older people with dementia before and during the pandemic, and the differences
| Â | The pre-pandemic phase | The first two years of the pandemic phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Â | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Difference in means [95%CI] |
The prescription rate | |||
 Northern Region | |||
  Antipsychotics | 43.40 (4.60)b | 39.95 (4.51)b | -3.44 [-4.92, -1.97]*** |
  Anxiolytics | 23.32 (3.61) | 23.39 (4.04) | 0.07 [-1.19, 1.33] |
  Hypnotics/Sedatives | 32.23 (4.37) | 28.24 (3.23) | -4.00 [-5.20, -2.79]*** |
  Antidepressants | 91.92 (12.78) | 81.68 (7.74) | -10.24 [-13.88, -6.61]***a |
  Anti-dementia drugs | 31.53 (5.78) | 23.44 (3.11) | -8.09 [-9.70, -6.47]***a |
  Statins | 132.14 (15.68)b | 109.47 (9.81) | -22.67 [-27.16, -18.19]***a |
  Opioids | 30.99 (5.15) | 31.04 (4.82) | 0.05 [-1.56, 1.65] |
 Southern Region | |||
  Antipsychotics | 24.28 (4.80)b | 24.65 (5.13) | 0.36 [-1.26, 1.99] |
  Anxiolytics | 27.31 (4.95) | 24.08 (4.02) | -3.23 [-4.66, -1.80]*** |
  Hypnotics/Sedatives | 23.01 (4.38) | 22.16 (4.57) | -0.85 [-2.31, 0.61] |
  Antidepressants | 53.58 (8.01) | 50.49 (7.09)b | -3.09 [-5.51, -0.68]* |
  Anti-dementia drugs | 16.57 (6.12) | 13.96 (4.80)b | -2.61 [-4.45, -0.76]**a |
  Statins | 93.70 (8.02) | 95.54 (13.14) | 1.83 [-1.50, 5.17]a |
  Opioids | 27.54 (5.87) | 25.30 (7.26) | -2.25 [-4.44, -0.05]* |
 The consultation rate | |||
  Northern region | 702.31 (88.84)b | 740.81 (107.01) | 38.50 [7.27, 69.73]*a |
  Southern region | 450.07 (66.57)b | 488.42 (77.34) | 38.35 [14.53, 62.18]** |