Examining variations in prescribing safety in UK general practice: cross sectional study using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

ABSTRACT:

Study question

What is the prevalence of different types of potentially hazardous prescribing in general practice in the United Kingdom, and what is the variation between practices?

Methods

A cross sectional study included all adult patients potentially at risk of a prescribing or monitoring error defined by a combination of diagnoses and prescriptions in 526 general practices contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) up to 1 April 2013. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of potentially hazardous prescriptions of anticoagulants, anti-platelets, NSAIDs, β blockers, glitazones, metformin, digoxin, antipsychotics, combined hormonal contraceptives, and oestrogens and monitoring by blood test less frequently than recommended for patients with repeated presc

SUBMITTER: Stocks SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4632209 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature