The Prescribing Data in General Practice Demonstration (PDGPD) Project was designed to implement and test a new quality improvement activity for General Practitioners (GPs). The project was developed by the National Prescribing Service (NPS) and Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) to enhance quality use of medicines and patient care in Australian general practice. Up to 180 general practices across Australia will participate in the project.
The quality improvement activity allows GPs to use their own prescribing data for systematic review of patient management and for peer comparison. A data extraction software tool (Canning Tool) is used to extract data for clinical indicators. The clinical indicators were developed from evidence-based best practice guidelines.
The demonstration project focuses on two clinical areas - hypertension and chronic heart failure. The Canning data extraction tool supplies GPs with immediate feedback on their prescribing in these two patient groups, identifying individual patients who may be receiving suboptimal treatment for review. Peer group discussions with a trained project facilitator from their local general practice network will explore practice data and clinical issues. GPs will be able to compare their prescribing data to that of their peers in the practice, in the division and nationally. Regular discussion and analysis of data will enable practices to track their progress and plan further improvements.
These continuous cycles of patient review, data analysis and implementing practice improvements are designed to improve patient outcomes and embed quality improvement in practices. Part of the demonstration project is a formal evaluation of the outcomes and feasibility of the activity.
For more information please contact Jenny Elston at the Network.