THE NELSON PRESCRIBING PROJECT - A PROGRAMMED INTERVENTION IN GENERAL-PRACTICE IN NEW-ZEALAND

We have defined the effect and acceptability of a locally developed ge neral practice programme for the modification of prescribing. This vol untary programme consisted of prescription analysis and feedback, foll owed by visits from a pharm; acist, a therapeutic bulletin on benzodia zepine prescribing, and use of a locally compiled preferred medicines list. A 3-month prescription sample from 26 general practitioners (GPs ) fulfilling a stable practice definition was used to compare prescrib ing pre-project and mid-project. For 20 out of 26 GPs, prescribing of medicines on the preferred medicines list had increased significantly 8 months after the intervention programme had been introduced. Total p rescription numbers and total medicines expenditure decreased by 8.3 a nd 4.9%, respectively, from 1988 to 1989. The decrease in benzodiazepi ne prescribing was marked (mean -22.2%, range -50.3 to +4%). The coope rative multimodel approach was highly successful in modifying prescrib ing in general practice.