Dataset for "Temporal and geographical variation in low carbon inhaler dispensing in England, 2016 to 2021: an ecological study"

Data collection method:

Inhaler items and cost data were downloaded from openprescribing.net at the product format level (OpenPrescribing.net, Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, University of Oxford, 2021). Clinical commissioning group (CCG) population age profiles (percentage under 15, and over 80 years old) for 2019 were obtained from the Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. CCG asthma and COPD prevalence (%), emergency hospital admissions (EHA, per 100,000 population) and mortality rates (per 100,000 population) were obtained from Public Health England under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Local formularies and guidelines on CCG public websites in May 2021 were reviewed to record the presence or absence of advice on the carbon footprint of inhalers and the number of recommended pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDI) and low carbon inhalers (dry powder inhalers and soft mist inhalers) in each pharmacological class.

Data processing and preparation activities:

To control for changes in the volume of inhaler dispensing, the key outcome measure used in this study is the percentage of low carbon inhalers dispensed, defined as the number of low carbon inhaler items dispensed relative to the total number of pMDI and low carbon inhaler items. In addition, the average cost for pMDI and low carbon inhaler items was defined as the total cost of them items divided by the total number of items.

Technical details and requirements:

N/A

Additional information:

See README.txt file