Evaluating inventiveness and choice in GP prescribing practice

Abstract

GP surgeries in the UK are currently assessed using the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) which can be time-consuming for surgeries to commit time to. This digital poster presentation at the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) 2024 annual conference in Bristol suggests a simple metric for evaluating the willingness of GP surgeries to try out different medications, which is the number of different medications, or range, plotted against the number of prescriptions issued per month, or rate. The plot shows a positive correlation, with the gradient decreasing at higher rates, interpreted as prescription fatigue. The deviation from the logarithmic line fitted gives the inventiveness of particular surgery, with an average value of zero. Plotting this for GP surgeries in South Wales indicates that Cardiff surgeries are more inventive than Newport surgeries, and coastal surgeries are more inventive than valley surgeries. Plotting range against rate for a medication class helps to identify medication classes needing further research to widen the available choice.