[Intervention to improve the quality of continuing drug prescription at a primary care center].

An evaluation study has been done on the quality of long-term drugs prescription. The aim was to check the effectiveness of certain corrective measures agreed by the professionals working in a primary care centre. Using the results of a first evaluation made in 1989, a series of recommendations were made to reduce the prescription of drugs with a low intrinsic value (LIV). A further evaluation took place 9 months later. A relative reduction of 20.2% in LIV drugs was obtained. This represented a reduction from 25% to 20.8% of the total number of prescriptions. In the relevant pharmacological subgroups a reduction of 77.9% in the prescription of nitrites linked to barbiturites was obtained; of 60% in LIV antacids; of 50.3% in antivaricose drugs; of 36.1% in LIV laxatives; and of 30.1% in Dipiridamol. There was no improvement in the prescription of external LIVs nor cerebral vasodilators. It is concluded that the intervention has proved its usefulness in the improvement of long-term drugs prescription.