Prescriber Variation in Relation to Prescribing Trends within the Preferred Drugs Initiative in Ireland (2012–2015): An Interrupted Time-Series Study Using Latent Curve Models

Ronald D. McDowell, Kathleen Bennett, Frank Moriarty, Sarah Clarke, Michael Barry and Tom Fahey
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Ronald D. McDowell: Health Research Board (HRB) Centre for Primary Care Research, Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School, Dublin 2, Ireland
Kathleen Bennett: Division of Population Health Sciences, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
Frank Moriarty: Health Research Board (HRB) Centre for Primary Care Research, Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School, Dublin 2, Ireland
Sarah Clarke: Health Service Executive Medicines Management Programme, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
Michael Barry: National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
Tom Fahey: Health Research Board (HRB) Centre for Primary Care Research, Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School, Dublin 2, Ireland

Medical Decision Making, 2019, vol. 39, issue 3, 278-293

Abstract: Objectives. To examine the impact of the Preferred Drugs Initiative (PDI), an Irish health policy aimed at reducing prescribing variation. Design. Interrupted time series spanning 2012 to 2015. Setting. Health Service Executive pharmacy claims data for General Medical Services (GMS) patients, approximately 40% of the Irish population. Participants. Prescribers issuing preferred drug group items to GMS adults before and after PDI guidelines. Primary Outcome. The percentage coverage of PDI medications within each drug class per calendar quarter per prescriber. Methods. Latent curve models with structured residuals (LCM-SRs) were used to model coverage of the preferred drugs over time. The number of GMS adults receiving medication and the percentage who were 65 years and older at the start of the study were included as covariates. Results. In the quarter following PDI guidelines, coverage of the preferred drugs increased most in absolute terms for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (1.50% [SE 0.15], P

Keywords: growth curves; interrupted time series; medical practice variation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:medema:v:39:y:2019:i:3:p:278-293

DOI: 10.1177/0272989X18818165

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