The influence of hospital drug formulary policies on the prescribing patterns of proton pump inhibitors in primary care.

Aim: This study had two aims: Firstly, to describe how prescriptions for proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in primary care were influenced by a change of the hospital drug policy, and secondly, to describe if a large discount on an expensive PPI (esomeprazole) to a hospital would influence prescribing patterns after discharge.

Methods: This register study was conducted at Odense University Hospital, Denmark, and by use of pharmacy dispensing data and a hospital-based pharmacoepidemiological database, the medication regimens of patients were followed across hospitalisation. The influence of hospital drug policy on prescribings in primary care was measured by the likelihood of having a high-cost PPI prescribed before and after change of drug policy.