Influence of Specialists on New Drug Prescribing in Primary Care
Author Information
Author(s): Florentinus Stefan R, Heerdink Eibert R, van Dijk Liset, Griens AMG Fabiënne, Groenewegen Peter P, Leufkens Hubert GM
Primary Institution: Utrecht University
Hypothesis
Are newly marketed drugs in primary care mainly prescribed by medical specialists during the early post-marketing period?
Conclusion
The influence of medical specialists is visible for all new drugs, but the rapid uptake of new drugs in primary care is not always specialist induced.
Supporting Evidence
- 60.2% of patients received their first prescription for salmeterol/fluticasone from a specialist.
- 77.0% of patients received their first prescription for rofecoxib from their GP.
- A substantial proportion of GPs prescribed new drugs before any specialist prescriptions.
Takeaway
Doctors sometimes start giving new medicines to patients before specialists do, showing that they can be leaders in prescribing too.
Methodology
The study analyzed dispensing data from 103 GPs over the period 1999 to 2003 to assess the influence of specialists on new drug prescribing.
Potential Biases
The dispensing data may be conservative estimates of actual prescribing behavior.
Limitations
The study is based on only five new drugs, and dispensing data may not fully capture all prescriptions.
Participant Demographics
Average age of patients was 61.7 years, with 57.2% female.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI 3.03–4.36
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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