[Variability of prescriptions in prevailing indications in primary care: a multicenter study. Study of Prescriptions in Primary Care (GEPAP)].
OBJECTIVE
It seems convenient to have information on how drugs are used in everyday's practice in order to be able to make drug selection proposals. The aim of this study was to describe the prescription profile in a number of prevalent indications and its variability among the participating centres.


METHODS
Cross-sectional descriptive study.


METHODS
Four Primary care centres.


METHODS
Each of the 32 participating physicians collected information on 200 consecutive patients who received a prescription between October 1994 and January 1995.


RESULTS
5932 patients, with a mean age of 56 years (SD = 18 years) were included. We analysed the prescriptions they received for hypertension (988 patients), hyperlipidaemia (254), peptic ulcer (PU) (136), nonulcer dyspepsia (271), chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) (293), asthma (134) and depression (261). We describe the number of different drugs used (range: 14 for PU-63 for hypertension), the number of drugs that accounted for 90% of the prescriptions (range: 5 for PU-20 for depression), the number of recently marketed drugs (range: 0 for PU-9 for hypertension) and the proportion of prescribed drugs they accounted for (range: 0% for PU-12.4% for depression). We found an important variability among the participating centres in all the considered indications; for instance, statins for hyperlipidaemia.


CONCLUSIONS
A rather high variability in prescription habits among participating centres was found. Prescription was highly concentrated in a few number of drugs, and the use of recently marketed drugs accounted for less than 10% of all prescriptions, although data show variability according to the considered indications.
Arnau de Bolós
J M
JM
Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Ciutat Sanitària i Universitària Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Bordas Julve
J M
JM
Casajuana Brunet
J
J
Diogène Fadini
E
E
Hernández Huet
E
E
Llop Rius
R
R
Mata Cases
M
M
Mundet Tudurí
X
X
D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain
Variabilidad de la prescripción en indicaciones prevalentes en atención primaria: un estudio multicéntrico. Estudio de la Prescripción en Atención Primaria (GEPAP).