No abstract

A method of dividing a map of the practice area into a grid based on postcode locations is described. The distribution of the practice population may thus be shown graphically and trends observed. The geographical incidence and prevalence of morbidity may also be charted and variations of statistical significance determined. This is a practical tool that will have greater potential as information technology in general practice develops.

We use our office computer to record and issue repeat prescriptions. Each month we look at a printout to see how many times a drug has been prescribed, with the goal of limiting our practice formulary. We have reduced by more than 10% the range of drugs that we use in the practice and have the possibility of knowing dose ranges, actions, interactions, and side effects of all the drugs used in the practice.

In a practice that has been using a computer routinely for more than two years to print, monitor, and audit repeat prescriptions a program was written to analyse combinations of drug treatments. A method is described in which for given diagnoses the computer can identify the appropriate drugs and add them together in a systematic way to produce detailed printouts of the drug management in the practice. A technique by which the computer user can analyse them further on a pharmacological basis is shown.

The use of sequential sample analysis for repeated performance review is described with examples from several areas of practice. The value of a practice computer in providing a random sample from a complete population, evaluating the parameters of a sequential procedure, and producing a structured worksheet is discussed. It is suggested that sequential analysis has advantages over conventional sampling in the area of performance review in general practice.