AUDITING GPS PRESCRIBING HABITS - CARDIOVASCULAR PRESCRIBING FREQUENTLY CONTINUES MEDICATION INITIATED BY SPECIALISTS

Objective: To determine to what extent general practitioners' (GPs) pr escribing behaviour is a result of repeat prescribing of medication wh ich has been initiated by specialists. Method: During a 4-week period, pharmacists identified GPs' prescriptions for a large group of cardio vascular drugs. Next, questionnaires were sent to the prescribing GPs to find out whether the prescriptions were in fact repeat prescription s. If they were, the GPs were asked whether or not they had originally been prescribed by a specialist. Setting: Six pharmacies in the north eastern part of the Netherlands. Subjects: Fourty-four GPs, 39 of whom responded. Results: Of 1648 questionnaires, 1342 (81%) were returned. Of drugs for cardiovascular therapy that the GPs prescribed, 66% had originally been prescribed by specialists. Conclusions: For many cardi ovascular drugs, GPs' prescriptions predominantly originated from spec ialists' prescribing. For more reliable attribution of prescription da ta or prescribing behaviour to either specialists or to GPs, similar s tudies should be made for other drug groups. Since the extent of repea t prescribing is high, qualitative studies should be made of the appro priateness of chronic medication, initiated by specialists and continu ed in repeat prescribing by GPs.