Low-value pharmaceutical care among Dutch GPs: a retrospective cohort study
The prevalence of three types of pharmaceutical care prescribed by GPs between 2016 and 2019 were examined: topical antibiotics for conjunctivitis, benzodiazepines for non-specific lower back pain, and chronic acid-reducing medication (ARM) prescriptions. Large variation in prevalence as well as practice variation was observed among the types of low-value pharmaceutical GP care examined. The results show that the prevalence of low-value pharmaceutical GP care varies among these three clinical problems. Significant variation in inappropriate prescribing exists between different types of pharmaceutical care — and GP practices.
