Table 3.
Prevalence of prescription and monitoring problems at 6 months' follow-up by allocation group
| Patient characteristics | Simple feedback | PINCER | Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI)* | ICC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary outcomes | |||||
| 1 | History of peptic ulcer prescribed an NSAID without a PPI/history of peptic ulcer without a PPI | 86/2014 (4%) | 51/1852 (3%) | 0·58 (0·38–0·89) | 4·68×10−7 |
| 2 | Asthma prescribed a β blocker/asthma | 658/22 224 (3%) | 499/20 312 (2%) | 0·73 (0·58–0·91) | 3·50×10−7 |
| 3 | Aged ≥75 years receiving long-term ACE inhibitors or loop diuretics without urea and electrolyte monitoring in the previous 15 months/aged ≥75 years receiving long-term ACE inhibitors or diuretics | 436/5329 (8%) | 255/4851 (5%) | 0·51 (0·34–0·78) | 0·14 |
| Secondary outcomes | |||||
| 2a | Asthma and not CHD prescribed a β blocker/asthma and not CHD | 387/21 048 (2%) | 299/19 286 (2%) | 0·81 (0·63–1·04) | 4·94×10−6 |
| 4 | History of venous or arterial thrombosis prescribed combined oral contraceptives/history of venous or arterial thrombosis (women) | 8/2783 (<1%) | 3/2490 (<1%) | 0·39 (0·07–2·15) | 0·05 |
| 5a | Methotrexate for ≥3 months without full blood count in past 3 months/methotrexate for ≥3 months | 162/518 (31%) | 122/494 (25%) | 0·80 (0·45–1·43) | 0·15 |
| 5b | Methotrexate for ≥3 months without a liver function test in past 3 months/methotrexate for ≥3 months | 154/518 (30%) | 121/494 (24%) | 0·79 (0·43–1·45) | 0·17 |
| 6 | Warfarin for ≥3 months without an INR in past 3 months/warfarin for ≥3 months | 78/1618 (5%) | 52/1720 (3%) | 0·53 (0·29–0·95) | 1·11×10−6 |
| 7 | Lithium for ≥3 months without a lithium concentration measurement in past 3 months/lithium for ≥3 months | 84/211 (40%) | 67/190 (35%) | 0·53 (0·24–1·19) | 0·24 |
| 8 | Amiodarone for ≥6 months without a thyroid function test in the past 6 months/amiodarone for ≥6 months | 106/235 (45%) | 81/242 (33%) | 0·57 (0·36–0·92) | 4·86×10−7 |
| 9 | Methotrexate without instructions to take weekly/patients prescribed methotrexate | 16/310 (5%) | 2/268 (1%) | 0·72 (0·06–9·25) | 5·20×10−7 |
| 10 | Amiodarone for ≥1 month at a dose of >200 mg per day/amiodarone for ≥1 month | 1/228 (<1%) | 1/228 (<1) | 0·96 (0·06–15·55)† | 2·1×105 |
| 11 | At least one prescription problem/at risk of at least one prescription problem | 752/26 329 (3%) | 553/24 073 (2%) | 0·71 (0·59–0·86) | 9·16×10−7 |
| 12 | At least one monitoring problem/at risk of at least one monitoring problem | 868/7409 (12%) | 584/6963 (8%) | 0·56 (0·44–0·70) | 0·04 |
Data are numerator/denominator (%), unless otherwise stated. Numbers of patients does not equal the sum of the denominators in each group because only those with baseline and follow-up data are included. PINCER=pharmacist-led information technology intervention. NSAID=non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. ACE=angiotensin converting enzyme. PPI=proton-pump inhibitor. CHD=coronary heart disease. INR=international normalised ratio. ICC=intraclass correlation coefficients.
*
Adjusted for randomisation stratum, baseline prevalence of errors, deprivation, and training status unless otherwise stated.
†
Adjustment for other variables not calculable.