Analisi della preserizione cardiovascolare in un distretto del territorio della ULSS 16 di Padova

We assigned a virtual budget for drug prescription, based on the number and age of registered attendance, to each one of the 350 general practitioners practising in our district (ULSS). Doctors were then assigned to 3 groups, identifying above average (>6%), average (-5% → + 5%) and below average (<6%) expenditure. Cardiovascular drugs were found to be the major determinant of costly prescribing, followed by gastrointestinals and antibiotics. Further analysis was done, using DDDs, on the cardiovascular prescribing of five doctors from each group, comparable for mix of patients. Doctors from the group spending above average prescribed significantly more calcium-antagonists, ACE-inhibitors and cholesterol lowering drugs.