title: Best practices: an intervention to promote evidence-based prescribing at a large psychiatric hospital.
abstract: An intervention to affect prescribing behavior was implemented at a large psychiatric hospital. Articles providing support for appropriate dosing of quetiapine were distributed to physicians, and peer discussions about prescribing practices were held. From April 2005 through December 2006, low-dose quetiapine prescriptions (<or=200 mg per day) were flagged. For four months, physicians writing low-dose prescriptions received personal feedback from the unit medical director, who encouraged appropriate alternatives. New low-dose prescriptions fell from 107 in July 2005 to 23 in December 2006. Monthly costs for quetiapine prescriptions declined by approximately $8,000. The intervention appeared to bring physicians' behavior more in line with evidence-based practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and theUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2593, USA.
authors.forename: Keith R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Stowell
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Ghinassi
authors.forename: Tanya J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Fabian
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.forename: Roger F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Haskett
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019985:Benchmarking; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010414:Pennsylvania; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000188:drug therapy; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate