Table 3.
Effects of an educational intervention in general practice on the number of older patients being exposed to ≥PIP, mean number of PIPs per 100 older patients, and mean number of PIPs per 100 prescriptions
| Group | Patients (%) exposed to one or more PIPs | PIPs per 100 patients (95% CI)a | PIPs per 100 prescriptionsb (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention group | |||
| Baseline | 9278 (19.9) | 27.3 (24.9 to 29.6) | 2.3 (2.2 to 2.4) |
| Follow-up | 7655 (16.9) | 22.4 (21.2 to 23.8) | 1.8 (1.7 to 1.9) |
| Reduction | −1623 (−3.0) | −4.9 (−5.8 to − 3.9) | −0.5 (−0.6 to −0.4) |
|
| |||
| Control group | |||
| Baseline | 6427 (18.6) | 25.8 (23.4 to 28.1) | 2.2 (2.0 to 2.2) |
| Follow-up | 5977 (17.2) | 24.2 (22.8 to 25.6) | 1.9 (1.8 to 2.0) |
| Reduction | −450 (−1.4) | −1.6 (−2.6 to −0.6) | −0.3 (−0.4 to −0.2) |
|
| |||
| Change due to interventionc | |||
| Absolute | −1173 (−1.6) | −3.3 (−4.6 to −1.9) | −0.3 (−0.4 to−0.2) |
| Relative (%) | −8.1 | −12.1 (−16.8 to −6.9) | −13.0 (−17.3 to −8.6) |
PIP = potentially inappropriate prescription.
a
Adjusted for baseline differences and intracluster effect.
b
Total number of prescriptions issued for patients aged ≥70 years during baseline and follow-up periods, respectively.
c
Absolute change denotes differences between figures from before and after the intervention, while relative change represents this difference relative to the baseline figures.