Objective: To determine the variation in the quality of prescription of medicines in Primary Attention Centre in two different periods, 1986 and 1990.
Design: Longitudinal, retrospective study with direct intervention. SITE. Primary Attention Centre, Ciudad Badía.
Participants: 1986: 9 general practitioners in medicine (GPs) and 7 pediatricians. 1990: 9 Gps, 7 pediatricians, and 7 residential doctors (MFC based) who were not included in the earlier evaluation.
Intervention: Once the 1986 prescriptions had been analysed qualitatively, the results were made available to and discussed with the doctors who made out the prescriptions (passive feedback). As ongoing intervention the periodic clinical sessions should be considered.
Main measurements and results: Increase in the substances included in Index/Guide: MG 6.5% and P 13% (p < 0.00001). Increase in the number of substances with an active principle and in the combinations accepted: MG 2.3% and P 9% (p < 0.00001). Increase in the percentage of specialties with high V1: MG 1% (p = 0.12) and P 10% (p < 0.00001).
Conclusions: There has been an increase in the quality of medical prescriptions according to the indicators analysed. There are other external factors that effect prescriptions that are difficult to measure. This type of study allows one to pinpoint the excessive or wrong use of intrinsically not very valuable sub-groups of therapeutic substances, and will serve as a base for indication-prescription studies.