Table 1.
Summary of detected changes in prescription behaviour for two prescribing measures, across all general practices (move from branded to generic versions of desogestrel in 2012 and change from trimethoprim to nitrofurantoin as the firstline antibiotic for treating uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) at various time points after 2014)
| Prescribing measure | Timing (months from intervention) | Steepness (% change per month) | Magnitude (% change) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desogestrel | |||
| Median | 8 | 8.9 | 65.9 |
| Interquartile range | 2-14 | 2.0-28.3 | 43.7-85.0 |
| Mean | 6.7 | 18.7 | 61.7 |
| Standard deviation | 12.5 | 24.2 | 27.6 |
| UTI antibiotics* | |||
| Median | 18 | 2.1 | 37.7 |
| Interquartile range | 5-29 | 1.0-7.5 | 28.4-47.0 |
| Mean | 15.8 | 6.9 | 37.9 |
| Standard deviation | 14.3 | 12.4 | 14.7 |
*
For the UTI measure, timing is in relation to the first intervention (October 2014, the change in Public Health England guidance).