[Effectiveness of interventions for improving drug prescribing in Primary Health Care].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of interventions for improving drug prescribing in Primary Health Care units.


METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis.


METHODS
Searches were made in MedLine©, ScienceDirect©, Springer©, SciELO©, Dialnet©, RedALyC©and Imbiomed©, in Spanish, English and Portuguese, using keywords "drug prescribing", "intervention studies" and "primary health care", indexed in each data base up to August 2014.


METHODS
Experimental and quasi-experimental studies were included that had a CASP-score>5 and that evaluated effect of any type intervention on the quality of drug prescription in Primary Health Care.


RESULTS
A total of 522 articles were found, and an analysis was performed on 12 that reported 17 interventions: 64.7% educational, 23.5% incorporating pharmacists into the health team, and 11.8% on the use of computer applications. The strong "intervention/improvement" associations were educational interventions OR=2.47 (95% CI; 2.28 - 2.69), incorporation of pharmacists OR=3.28 (95% CI; 2.58 4.18), and use of computer applications OR=10.16 (95% CI; 8.81 -11.71).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of interventions with computer applications showed to be more effective than educational interventions and incorporation pharmacists into the health team. Future studies are required that include economic variables such as, implementation costs, drug costs and other expenses associated with health care and treatment of diseases.
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Salud Pública, Departamento de Salud Pública, División de Disciplinas para el Desarrollo, Promoción y Preservación de la Salud, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Electronic address: zgma_51083@yahoo.com.mx.
Marco Antonio
MA
Zavala-González
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Salud Pública, Departamento de Salud Pública, División de Disciplinas para el Desarrollo, Promoción y Preservación de la Salud, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
Carlos Enrique
CE
Cabrera-Pivaral
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Salud Pública, Departamento de Salud Pública, División de Disciplinas para el Desarrollo, Promoción y Preservación de la Salud, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
María de Jesús
MJ
Orozco-Valerio
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Salud Pública, Departamento de Salud Pública, División de Disciplinas para el Desarrollo, Promoción y Preservación de la Salud, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
Igor Martín
IM
Ramos-Herrera
D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement
Atención primaria de salud; Errores de medicación; Estudios de intervención; Farmacoepidemiología; Intervention studies; Medication errors; Meta-análisis; Metaanalysis; Pharmaco-epidemiology; Primary health care