title: [Quality prescribing of long-acting beta-agonists. Results of an intervention in Primary Care].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess an intervention aimed to reduce inappropriate prescribing of long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) in Primary Care. MATERIAL AND METHODS;
  
  
  METHODS
  Quasi-experimental pre/post study without control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aljarafe Primary Health Care Area (Seville, Spain).
  
  
  METHODS
  General practitioners with LABA prescriptions without inhaled corticosteroids (iCT), who worked more than 40% of working days in the study period. Study unit: Simple randomised sample of patients with LABA prescriptions without iCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mailing educational material with recommendations on the appropriate use of LABA and a list of their patients with inappropriate prescriptions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Appropriateness of LABA prescriptions as indicated in the Product Summary Characteristics. Patient age, sex, type of LABA and diagnoses were analysed.
  
  
  METHODS
  An information system for billing computerized prescriptions and medical history.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before intervention, prescriptions were inappropriate in 70.3% of patients, and 51.8% received LABA without iCT for unapproved conditions. A diagnosis associated with a respiratory condition was not recorded in the Computerised Medical Records of 18.5% of the patients. After intervention, the percentage of inappropriate prescriptions in the sample dropped to 4.5%, mainly due to a review of the treatment (LABA cessation or iCT addition).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a high level of inappropriate use of LABA in Primary Health Care. Mailing educational materials combined with the list of patients with an inappropriate LABA prescription to general practitioners seems to be an effective strategy to improve quality prescribing in respiratory pathologies.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Farmacia, Distrito Sanitario Atención Primaria Aljarafe, Sevilla, España. rocio.fernandez.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernández Urrusuno
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pérez Pérez
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Montero Balosa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: González Limones
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Caraballo Camacho
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cuberos Fernández
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists