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Some patterns of prescribing by urban general practitioners
1Department of Health and Social Services, Belfast.
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
|March 26, 1988
Summary
General practitioners with higher prescribing costs issue more medications and see more patients with chronic conditions. These high-cost practices also offer more appointments, suggesting a link between practice characteristics and prescribing expenses.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- General Practice
- Pharmacoeconomics
Background:
- Prescribing costs vary significantly among general practitioners.
- Understanding prescribing patterns is crucial for healthcare cost management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare prescribing patterns between high-cost and low-cost general practitioner practices.
- To identify factors associated with higher prescribing costs.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of prescribing data from 46 general practices in the Belfast area.
- Data extracted from the Department of Health and Social Services (Northern Ireland) database.
- Comparison of prescribing frequency, quantity, patient-to-doctor ratios, and surgery session frequency.
Main Results:
- High-cost practices prescribed more frequently and in larger quantities across all studied drug groups.
- Practices with higher costs had a lower patient-to-doctor ratio and offered more surgery sessions.
- High-cost practices treated a greater proportion of patients with chronic diseases (heart disease, asthma, diabetes, thyroid disease) and exhibited higher symptomatic drug prescribing rates.
Conclusions:
- Higher prescribing costs in general practice are associated with increased prescription volume, larger quantities, more patient contact, and a higher prevalence of chronic disease management.
- The higher rate of symptomatic drug prescribing in high-cost practices warrants further investigation due to potential risks.