Concordance with guideline recommendations: previous and more recent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescriptions in Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND

Clinical practice guidelines for appropriate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) utilisation focus on preventing NSAID-related gastrointestinal (GI), cardiovascular (CV), congestive heart failure (CHF) and renal adverse events. We compared concordance of NSAID prescriptions with clinical practice guideline recommendations in Quebec, pre and post rofecoxib withdrawal from market.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the Quebec Health Insurance Agency (RAMQ). All prescriptions for celecoxib and traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs) dispensed to patients ≥50 years of age were evaluated for concordance with clinical practice guidelines. Prescriptions were stratified by time period (pre and post rofecoxib withdrawal) and, GI, CV, CHF and renal risk factors at the dispensing date. Gastro-protective agent (GPA) co-prescriptions were also evaluated.

RESULTS

We assessed 1,966,793 celecoxib and 1,743,481 tNSAIDs prescriptions. Of celecoxib prescriptions, 87.2% and 86.5% were appropriate in the post- and pre-periods, respectively, compared to 72.6% and 70.1% of tNSAIDs prescriptions, respectively. In logistic regression, 'appropriateness' of celecoxib prescriptions increased with age, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (OA), and was higher in the post- versus pre-period (odds ratio 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.18-1.26); it was lower in women and in patients with higher income. 'Appropriateness' of tNSAID prescriptions decreased in the post-period (0.92, 0.89-0.95), was lower in older persons and those with OA, and higher in women and in higher income patients. Of tNSAID prescriptions that should have received a GPA co-prescription, only 45.6% did.

CONCLUSION

Concordance with guideline recommendations increased for celecoxib and decreased for tNSAIDs after rofecoxib withdrawal; GPA co-prescription with tNSAIDs remained suboptimal.