[The computerized repeat prescription. The follow-up of drug consumption and of authorized medication cards over the first 3 years].

OBJECTIVE

To find the characteristics of the quantitative data and their evolution from June 1993 to June 1996 concerning our system of computerised repeat prescriptions (CRP).

DESIGN

A population-based, longitudinal and observational study.

SETTING

Raval Nord Primary Care District, Barcelona.

PARTICIPANTS

All the authorized medication cards (AMC) from the first, second and third years, collected in dBASE-IV.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Overall number of AMC, for pensioners and workers, total number of medicines, mean medicines per AMC, mean attendance of patients by days and mean counterfoils per doctor per month. Sex and age in 1996. The overall number of AMC fell from 3,432 to 3,129. Users attended the CRP service every 68.44 days, which did not change. Overall medicines fell from 12,392 to 11,108. Mean medicines per AMC fell from 3.61 to 3.55. Mean counterfoils per doctor per month fell for pensioners from 18.20 to 14.45, and for workers from 2.00 to 1.63.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a steady fall in all the indicators under study. The profile of the user with an AMC is a woman, pensioner, 65 or over, using the CRP service every two months, with 3.5 authorized medicines per year and receiving steadily less prescriptions.