Irrational use of proton pump inhibitors in general practise.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are widely used among general practitioners (GP) and hospital doctors alike as a first-line agent for the management of various approved conditions. However, PPIs do have an established side-effect profile that can be over looked when prescribing these agents outside of their Food Drug Administration (FDA) indications.

Aims: The aim of this audit is to establish that PPIs are often prescribed without any clear documented indication as to why, particularly in the elderly population, despite multiple previous studies conducted which showed an over-use of these medicines.