Academic detailing has no effect on prescribing of asthma medication in Danish general practice: a 3-year randomized controlled trial with 12-monthly follow-ups.
BACKGROUND
Educational outreach visits, particularly when combined with social marketing, appear to be a promising approach to modifying health professional behaviour, especially prescribing. Results from previous studies have shown a varying effect.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of academic detailing as a method of implementing a clinical guideline in general practice.


METHODS
A cluster randomized, controlled, blinded study was carried out of the effect of an academic detail visit compared with postal distribution of a guideline for prescribing asthma medication. Half the practices in a Danish county with 100 practices were visited once. The outcome measure was routinely collected data from all Danish pharmacies on the sales of asthma medication. Data were collected monthly for 2 years before to 1 year after the intervention.


RESULTS
There was no effect on the pattern of prescription of asthma medicines following the visit, neither immediately nor long term.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no effect of academic detailing as a single intervention.
Witt
Klaus
K
Department of General Practice, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. k.witt@gpmed.ku.dk
Knudsen
Erik
E
Ditlevsen
Susanne
S
Hollnagel
Hanne
H
D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003718:Denmark; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004522:Educational Status; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'