BACKGROUND There has been a rapid increase in proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prescribing in recent years, and controlling the cost and improving the quality of prescribing is an issue of concern to many GPS: OBJECTIVE Our aim was to compare GPs' usage of different PPIs and explore how GPs' PPI prescribing changes following the introduction of a cheaper competitor. METHODS PPI prescribing data ...

OBJECTIVE To develop a practitioner led definition of a prescribing error for use in quantitative studies of their incidence. DESIGN Two stage Delphi technique. SUBJECTS A panel of 34 UK judges, which included physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, nurses and risk managers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The extent to which judges agreed with a general definition of a prescribing error, and the extent...

BACKGROUND Licensing arrangements for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the UK were broadened in 2005 to allow prescribing to pregnant smokers. However, estimates of NRT prescribing in pregnant females in the UK are currently lacking. AIM To assess trends in NRT prescribing around pregnancy, and variation in prescribing by maternal characteristics. DESIGN AND SETTING Population-based de...

OBJECTIVE To examine antibiotic prescribing in nursing homes and determine to what degree the prescribing was in accordance with the national guidelines for antibiotic prescribing. DESIGN Retrospective examination of patients' records who were prescribed antibiotics in the period 1 March 2007 to 28 February 2008. SETTING AND PATIENTS Patients residing in the nursing homes of Arendal, Norway...

BACKGROUND Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system with embedded clinical decision support (CDS) can significantly reduce certain types of prescription error. However, prescription errors still occur. Various factors such as the numeric inputting methods in human computer interaction (HCI) produce different error rates and types, but has received relatively little attention. OBJECTIV...

BACKGROUND The management of patients with heart failure (HF) needs to account for changeable and complex individual clinical characteristics. The use of renin angiotensin system inhibitors (RAAS-I) to target doses is recommended by guidelines. But physicians seemingly do not sufficiently follow this recommendation, while little is known about the physician and patient predictors of adherence. ...

AIMS To assess changes in the prescribing practices and views about nurse prescribing of Registered Nurses in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2012. BACKGROUND Considering the developments that took place in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2012, such as increased opportunities for nurse prescribing education and stricter control of nurses' prescribing practices, this study examines the exten...