Primary care prescribing patterns in Ireland after the publication of large hypertension trials.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed prescribing patterns of antihypertensive therapies (AHT) before and after the publication of the LIFE, ALLHAT and VALUE trials between 2000 and 2005.


METHODS
The Irish HSE-PCRS prescribing database was used to identify those initiated any AHT. Any change 12 months before and after the trial publications was examined using a segmented regression analysis.


RESULTS
There was little or no effect of any of the trials on new AHT prescribing, except for ALLHAT where there was an increase in new prescriptions for ACE inhibitors, and VALUE with a slight increase in prescriptions for calcium channel blockers.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show that there was little or no effect of any of the three clinical trials studied on new AHT prescribing patterns in Irish general practice. Future studies should assess any underlying barriers to implementing new evidence into clinical practice.
Kabir
Zubair
Z
Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Feely
John
J
Bennett
Kathleen
K
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000600:supply & distribution / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000600:supply & distribution / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000600:supply & distribution / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007494:Ireland; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers