[Definition and validation of quality indicators of prescription in primary care].
OBJECTIVE
To define and validate a battery of prescription indicators on the use of anti-hypertensives, lipid-lowerers, diabetes drugs, and insulin, as measurements of family doctors' quality of prescription in primary health care.


METHODS
Transversal, descriptive study.


METHODS
Two primary care health districts, Camas and Sierra Norte, Spain.


METHODS
Eighty three family doctors, 94.32% of the doctors in the study area. DEFINITION AND VALIDATION OF INDICATORS: To construct the prescription indicators, we used evidence found in the scientific bibliography available. To validate it, we analysed its statistical relationship with a series of selected clinical tests, collected from the clinical records.


RESULTS
For each doctor, there was a statistically significant relationship between the index of quality of prescription and the clinical quality seen in the records (P=.004). The variables of age, sex, and training fine-tuned the model.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a statistically significant relationship between a good prescription indicator and proper control of intermediate health variables.
Torrecilla-Rojas
M A
MA
Farmacia, Distrito Condado-Campiña, Huelva, Spain. atorrec@sefap.org
Pedregal-González
M
M
Caraballo-Camacho
M O
MO
Rodríguez-Papalardo
V
V
Fernández-Fernández
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D013030:Spain