Work

Association of Quetiapine Overuse Letters With Prescribing by Physician Peers of Targeted Recipients

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Physicians learn about new medical evidence from their peers.1,2 Interventions that can stem overuse in some physicians could therefore spur systemwide change through peer networks as physicians discuss new practice styles and learn from each other.One source of overuse is antipsychotic prescribing: these drugs are widely prescribed to people with dementia even though guidelines discourage this practice.3 A randomized clinical trial of antipsychotic overuse letters that were sent by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to high prescribers of quetiapine reduced prescribing by targeted physicians by 16% over 2 years (NCT02467933).4 This study examines whether these letters led to changes in prescribing by peers of the original physicians, which would suggest that overuse interventions can have broader effects.

Source: JAMA Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1418

Authors: Adam Sacarny, Andrew R. Olenski, Michael L. Barnett

Institutions: National Bureau of Economic Research, Columbia University, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes

Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Laura and John Arnold Foundation