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A series of evidence-based drug therapy letters improved prescribing behaviour

Clinical impact ratings GP/FP/Primary care

Key Words: physician’s practice patterns • prescriptions (drug) • drug utilisation

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

METHODS
Design: cluster randomised controlled trial.

Allocation: concealed.^*

Blinding: blinded {clinicians, patients, and outcome assessors}.^*

Follow up period: 3 months (8 wks for letters #7 and #8).

Setting: 24 local health areas (LHAs) in British Columbia, Canada.

Participants: a 10% sample of prescribing physicians from the 24 LHAs: 499 physicians (mean age 46 y, 86% men, 90% general practitioners). The patient populations were (i) residents of British Columbia who were 66 years of age between 1993 and 1998, lived at home or in a continuing care institution, and had been eligible for Pharmacare coverage for 1 year (people who had made no claim in the preceding year for any drug among the drug classes included in the letters were "at risk" of a first prescription); and (ii) a younger patient population, which was used to measure the effect of a letter on the management of asthma.

Intervention: 24 LHAs were . . . [Full text of this article]

John F Steiner, MD, MPH

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Denver, Colorado, USA