Effectiveness of Educational Outreach by Pharmaceutical Advisers in Primary Care
Author Information
Author(s): Martin P Eccles, Ian N Steen, Paula M Whitty, Lesley Hall
Primary Institution: Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University
Hypothesis
Is untargeted educational outreach visiting delivered by pharmaceutical advisers effective in primary care?
Conclusion
The routine use of untargeted educational outreach visiting delivered by existing pharmaceutical advisers may not be a worthwhile strategy.
Supporting Evidence
- Across the 72 study practices, there was no significant impact of the intervention on usage of any group of antidepressant drugs.
- The routine use of educational outreach visiting by existing pharmaceutical advisers, untargeted, may not be a worthwhile strategy.
- Most practices declined a second visit, indicating potential limitations in the intervention's reach.
Takeaway
The study looked at whether visits from pharmaceutical advisers to doctors helped them prescribe better antidepressants, but it found that these visits didn't really change how doctors prescribed.
Methodology
A pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial involving general practices in two primary care trusts, comparing prescribing data before and after the intervention.
Potential Biases
Potential for contamination of control practices and lack of targeting specific prescribers who needed change.
Limitations
The study may have been underpowered to detect a significant effect due to the fixed number of practices and the nature of the intervention.
Participant Demographics
General practices in Newcastle and North Tyneside, UK.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI -0.42, 0.46
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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