Developing and implementing a model for changing physicians' prescribing habits-- the role of clinical pharmacy in leading the change.

Background And Objective: Budgetary constraints led the Israeli Hillel Yaffe Medical Center management to implement policies for reducing expenditure while maintaining the quality of care. For this purpose, the pharmacy services management developed and implemented a three-tier intervention feedback model for changing physicians' prescribing habits, and achieving cost-effective changes in antibiotic utilization.

Methods: A prospective drug utilization evaluation was conducted to profile antibiotic utilization.