Box 1.

QI initiatives in the UK with a focus on prescribing safety

  • Salford medication safety dashboard — software developed to sit on GP computers, allowing them to run reports identifying patients requiring review based on a number of prescribing indicators. Implemented in 43 practices.7,8

  • PINCER tool — developed as part of a pharmacist-led trial to improve prescribing safety in the East Midlands. Software sits on GP computers and produces reports to identify patients at risk of common prescribing errors. NHS England is supporting wider roll-out.9

  • Margham’s trigger tool — study conducted in one test practice with focus on GP evaluation of a prescribing safety trigger tool.10

  • EFIPPS trial — cluster randomised trial in 262 practices evaluating feedback on prescribing safety. Feedback included benchmarking of a practice’s prescribing rate against the 25% ‘best practices’ for each indicator. Advice was given on how to implement system searches for the individual patients.11

  • EFIPPS = Effective Feedback to Improve Primary Care Prescribing Safety trial. PINCER = pharmacist-led information technology intervention for medication errors. QI = quality improvement.