Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of NHS-DPPD and CPRD practices
| Baseline characteristics of practices | NHS-DPPD (n= 6517) | CPRD (n= 587) |
|---|---|---|
| List per full-time equivalent GP, mean (SD) | 2306.2 (12114.0) | n/aa |
| Percentage of patients in London | 5.7 | 12.8 |
| Percentage of patients in North of England | 49.7 | 54.3 |
| Percentage of patients in South of England | 44.6 | 32.9 |
| Practice list size, mean (SD) | 7558.0 (4194.8) | 7732.2 (3516.3) |
| Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015 score, mean (SD) | 25.9 (17.4) | n/aa |
| Adult skills sub-domain deprivation score, mean (SD) | 0.3 (0.1) | n/aa |
| Health deprivation and disability score, mean (SD) | 0.2 (0.9) | n/aa |
| Percentage of female patients, mean (SD) | 50.0 (2.2) | 58.1 (2.1) |
| Rate of prescribing of other medicines, mean (SD)b | 17 631.3 (5707.8) | 16 587.3 (5923.6) |
| Rate of prescribing of antibiotics, mean (SD)b | 576.1 (148.1) | 578.9 (177.4) |
| Rate of prescribing of non-opioid painkillers, mean (SD)b | 1211.4 (544.4) | 1365.7 (611.3) |
| Rate of prescribing of benzodiazepines, mean (SD)b | 274.8 (162.4) | 325.1 (247.1) |
a
n/a means the dataset does not have the variable.
b
Rate per 1000 patients per year. CPRD = Clinical Practice Research Datalink. DPPD = digital practice prescribing data. n/a = not applicable. SD = standard deviation.