[Impact of a program of rational use of medicines on pharmaceutical prescription in a health area].

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the impact of the introduction of a programme for rational use of medicines (PRUM) on the pharmacotherapeutic prescription profile of the primary care teams in the Ciudad Real health area.

DESIGN

A longitudinal and prospective intervention study. The Area's total general medical prescription (January, May and August, 1994 and 1995) was used.

SETTING

Ciudad Real Primary Care Area of INSALUD.

PARTICIPANTS

166 general practitioners, all the prescribing doctors in the area.

INTERVENTION

Introduction of a programme of rational use of medicines.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

Expenditure/inhabitant, prescriptions/inhabitant, expenditure/prescription, units of drugs of low therapeutic value (LTV), cost of calcitonins/pensioner and units of hypolipaemiants/100 pensioners were measured, in function of seven variables of the prescriber and six variables of the population group. Breaking down the prescriber's variables, least expenditure/inhabitant per month corresponded to doctors over 50, followed by temporary doctors, those not in paediatrics and those with their post in an urban centre. There was a positive correlation between expenditure/inhabitant per month and the number of prescriptions issued.

CONCLUSIONS

1. After the initial phase of PRUM, an increase in expenditure and improvement in the qualitative profile of prescription were noted. 2. Information taken from the study has proved to be an adequate planning and management tool.