BACKGROUND Based on changes in pharmacokinetics and -dynamics in elderly patients, there are potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) that should be avoided in patients aged ≥ 65 years. Current studies showed prescription rates of PIM between 22.5 and 28.4 % in the primary care setting. The evidence concerning reasons for PIM prescription by FPs is limited. METHODS This mixed method study ...

BACKGROUND The Prescription Peer Academic Detailing (Rx-PAD) project is an educational intervention study aiming at improving GPs' competence in pharmacotherapy. GPs in CME peer groups were randomised to receive a tailored intervention, either to support a safer prescription practice for elderly patients or to improve prescribing of antibiotics to patients with respiratory tract infections. The...

PURPOSE Over the last decade, guidelines for the treatment of type 2 diabetes have increasingly favored tighter glycemic control, necessitating the use of more aggressive pharmacological therapy. The objective of this study was to describe trends in the prescription of anti-diabetic medications among patients with type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom (UK). METHODS Using the General Practice ...

BACKGROUND Despite evidence that uncomplicated lower respiratory tract infection (cough) does not respond appreciably to antibiotics and that bacterial resistance is increasing, general practitioners (GPs) still prescribe frequently. AIM To assess delayed antibiotic prescribing as a strategy for reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics for cough in primary care. DESIGN OF STUDY Open rand...

OBJECTIVES Estimate the effect of statin prescription on mortality in the population of England and Wales with no previous history of cardiovascular disease. METHODS Primary care records from The Health Improvement Network 1987-2011 were used. Four cohorts of participants aged 60, 65, 70, or 75 years at baseline included 118,700, 199,574, 247,149, and 194,085 participants; and 1.4, 1.9, 1.8, ...