Matching prescription claims with medication data for nursing home residents: Implications for prescriber feedback, drug utilisation studies and selection of prescription claims database

Medication data retrieved from Australian Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benef its Scheme (RPBS) claims for 44 veterans residing in nursing homes and Phar maceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) claims for 898 nursing home residents were compared with medication data from nursing home records to determine the o ptimal time interval for retrieving claims data and its validity. Optimal m atching was achieved using 12 weeks of RPBS claims data, with 60% of medica tions in the RPBS claims located in nursing home administration records, an d 78% of medications administered to nursing home residents identified in R PBS claims. In comparison, 48% of medications administered to nursing home residents could be found in 12 weeks of PBS data, and 56% of medications pr esent in PBS claims could be matched with nursing home administration recor ds. RPBS claims data was superior to PBS, due to the larger number of sched uled items available to veterans and the veteran's file number, which acts as a unique identifier. These findings should be taken into account when us ing prescription claims data for medication histories, prescriber feedback, drug utilisation, intervention or epidemiological studies. (C) 2001 Elsevi er Science Inc. All rights reserved.