TY - JOUR T1 - Duplicate prescriptions: an aid to research and review JF - The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners JO - J R Coll Gen Pract SP - 648 LP - 650 VL - 31 IS - 232 AU - J. G. Hamley AU - S. V. Brown AU - J. Crooks AU - L. J. Christopher AU - D. Dingwall AU - J. C. Murdoch AU - J. D. E. Knox AU - A. W. Patterson AU - a group of Tayside general practitioners Y1 - 1981/11/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/31/232/648.abstract N2 - We describe a method of studying patterns of prescribing and related morbidity in general practice. Prescribing data were automatically duplicated onto a `no-carbon-required' prescription-pad. Additional information about diagnosis and indications for each drug, an indication of whether the drug was newly prescribed or a repeat, and a patient identification code were entered onto the bottom copy. A computer was used to process the data, which were gathered over a period of seven months. The method offers an efficient means of collecting data which can be applied by individuals or groups of doctors to improve patient care and help achieve rational prescribing. ER -