BACKGROUND ACE Inhibitors (ACE-I) and Angiotensin-Receptor Antagonists (ARAs) are commonly prescribed but can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) during intercurrent illness. Rates of hospitalization with AKI are increasing. We aimed to determine whether hospital AKI admission rates are associated with increased ACE-I/ARA prescribing. METHODS AND FINDINGS English NHS prescribing data for ACE-I/AR...

This qualitative study explores how recently qualified nurse prescribers describe, and rate, the safety of their prescribing. Internationally, the costs of drug errors are enormous and they can have serious implications for staff and patients. Nurses are now undertaking extended prescribing practice throughout the UK. Nurse prescribers work across different work settings and although safe presc...

The object of this study was to develop a more accurate method of analysing prescribing patterns in general practice than is currently provided by prescribing analysis and cost (PACT) data. In particular it was hoped to be able to develop a system to predict accurately both the prescribing activity related to practice population age-sex distributions, and the related prescribing activity in the...

Undergraduate medical education has been criticised for failing to adequately prepare doctors for the task of prescribing. Pharmacists have been shown to improve medication use in hospitals. This study aims to elicit the views of intern doctors on the challenges of prescribing, and to suggest changes in education to enhance prescribing practice and potential role of the pharmacist. Semi-structu...

BACKGROUND The prescribing of antidepressants has been rising dramatically in developed countries. AIM As part of an investigation into the reasons for the rise and variation in the prescribing of antidepressants, this study aimed to describe, and account for, the variation in an age-sex standardised rate of antidepressant prescribing between general practices. DESIGN OF STUDY Cross-section...

BACKGROUND Inappropriate use of antibiotics promotes antibiotic resistance. Little is known about physician characteristics that may be associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Our objective was to assess whether physician knowledge, time in practice, place of training and practice volume explain the differences in antibiotic prescribing among physicians. METHODS A historical coh...

There is solid evidence that physical activity is essential to improve health as well as quality of life, and there is an urgent need to find effective strategies to implement this knowledge into health care delivery as well as to develop more effective strategies for the promotion of physical activity. A systematic literature review of methods of promoting physical activity from randomized con...

BACKGROUND This study explores the incorporation of sildenafil into treatment of the common conditions of psychosexual and erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS The 2002 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed for visits in which sildenafil was prescribed. Patient, visit, and provider characteristics for visits in which silde...

BACKGROUND Benzodiazepines are often prescribed long-term inappropriately. We aimed to systematically review and meta-synthesise qualitative studies exploring clinicians' experiences and perceptions of benzodiazepine prescribing to build an explanatory model of processes underlying current prescribing practices. METHODS We searched seven electronic databases for qualitative studies in Western...

OBJECTIVES To describe current disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) prescription in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with reference to best practice and to identify temporal and regional trends in the UK. DESIGN Descriptive, register-based cohort study. PARTICIPANTS Permanently registered patients aged ≥18 years with a recorded diagnosis of RA between 1 January 1995 and 31 March 2010 and...