title: Does indirect consultation lead to overprescribing in general practice?
abstract: Indirect consultations (by telephone or receptionist) are of increasing importance in general practice and may result in more prescribing than during direct (face to face)-consultations. We analysed prescribing data for 14,660 disorders, presented in one week in 52 general practices. In general, a significant, but hardly relevant increase in prescribing during indirect consultations was observed. The effect varies strongly for different disorders and was especially relevant for repeat-prescriptions for the following conditions: musculoskeletal- and connective tissue diseases, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders and disorders of the female genital tract.
mesh_terms: D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013689:Telephone