Use of proton pump inhibitors in general practice.

Aim: To evaluate the characteristics of the prescription of the proton pump inhibitor drugs (PPI) and the adherence to the indications of the guidelines regulating the reimbursement limitations set forth by the Italian Drug Agency.

Methods: Thirty general practitioners (GP) participated in the study, providing data on more than 40000 patients in total. The population was divided into non occasional users of PPI drugs (PPI users) and non-users (PPI non-users) based on evidence of a prescription of at least 3 packs of PPIs in the last 90 d before analysis.