High risk prescribing in primary care patients particularly vulnerable to adverse drug events: cross sectional population database analysis in Scottish general practice.
Guthrie B, McCowan C, Davey P, et al. High risk prescribing in primary care patients particularly vulnerable to adverse drug events: cross sectional population database analysis in Scottish general practice. BMJ. 2011;342:d3514. doi:10.1136/bmj.d3514.
This study found that 14% of patients vulnerable to adverse drug events (based on age and comorbidities) received a high-risk prescription in the past year, particularly for long-term medications. While many prescriptions were not deemed inappropriate, differences in prescribing patterns were noted and may provide opportunities for prevention.