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. 2024 Mar 27;22:126. doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03332-z

Table 2.

Descriptive statistics on potentially hazardous prescribing indicators, over 2010–2011 to 2021–2022

Number of consultations at risk for potentially hazardous prescribing
(N = 7,623,305 consultation events)
NP
Exposed to potentially hazardous prescribing, Permanent GP Numerator
(% of denominator)
DP
At risk of potentially hazardous prescribing,
Permanent GP Denominator
NL
Exposed to potentially hazardous prescribing,
Locum GP
Numerator
(% of denominator)
DL
At risk of potentially hazardous prescribing,
Locum GP
Denominator
Potential harm: GI bleed

 Prescription of an oral NSAID, without co-prescription of an ulcer healing drug, to a patient aged ≥ 65 years (Indicator A)

(N = 454,929)

237,867 (56.5%) 420,760 19,926 (58.3%) 34,169

 Prescription of an oral NSAID, without co-prescription of an ulcer healing drug, to a patient with a history of peptic ulceration (Indicator B)

(N = 2907)

1376 (52.6%) 2617 171 (59%) 290

 Prescription of an antiplatelet drug without co-prescription of an ulcer-healing drug, to a patient with a history of peptic ulceration (Indicator C)

(N = 3537)

765 (23.1%) 3309 57 (27.4%) 228

 Prescription of warfarin or DOAC in combination with an oral NSAID (Indicator D)

(N = 222,986)

4567 (2.2%) 207,655 308 (2%) 15,331

 Prescription of warfarin or DOAC and an antiplatelet drug in combination without co-prescription of an ulcer-healing drug (Indicator E)

(N = 35,421)

15,856 (47.7%) 33,260 976 (45.2%) 2161

 Prescription of aspirin in combination with another antiplatelet drug (without co-prescription of an ulcer-healing drug) (Indicator F)

(N = 265,499)

124,950 (50.2%) 249,148 8328 (51%) 16,351
Potential harm: exacerbation of asthma

 Prescription of a non-selective beta-blocker to a patient with asthma (Indicator G)

(N = 163,368)

11,183 (7.4%) 150,611 1165 (9.1%) 12,757

 Prescription of a long-acting beta-2 agonist inhaler (excluding combination products with inhaled corticosteroid) to a patient with asthma who is not also prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid (Indicator H)

(N = 5,917,201)

50,239 (0.09%) 5,407,846 3293 (0.06%) 509,355
Potential harm: Heart failure

 Prescription of an oral NSAID to a patient with heart failure (Indicator I)

(N = 551,110)

2610 (0.05%) 551,110 195 (0.003%) 551,110
Potential harm: Stroke

 Prescription of antipsychotics for > 6 weeks in a patient aged ≥ 65 years with dementia but not psychosis (Indicator J)

(N = 6347)

5601 (93.8%) 5972 335 (89.3%) 375