The effects of a postgraduate course on opioid-prescribing patterns of general practitioners.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this study is to evaluate whether a single palliative cancer care workshop, which included information about drug prescribing, had an effect on the opioid-prescription patterns of general practitioners in daily practice.


METHODS
The opioid-prescription figures of 68 general practitioners who had participated in the workshop were aggregated from the computer system of the Regional Sick Fund. The prescription figures of a year before and a year after the workshop were compared and a control group of non-participants was included.


RESULTS
This study showed a limited efficacy of a palliative cancer care workshop on the morphine-prescription figures of the general practitioners in daily practice. This limited effect did not accord with the results of a pre- and post-workshop questionnaire evaluating the attitudes of the same practitioners.


CONCLUSIONS
A single workshop can not effectuate substantial changes in prescription behaviors. Possibilities for more reinforcements are discussed.
Schuit
K W
KW
Comprehensive Cancer Center North Netherlands, Groningen.
Otter
R
R
Stewart
R
R
Sleijfer
D T
DT
Meijler
W J
WJ
Meyboom-De Jong
B
B
D004363:Drug Utilization; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009020:Morphine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009426:Netherlands; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'
D009294:Narcotics; D009020:Morphine; D005283:Fentanyl