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BACKGROUND Statins are recommended for all patients with known coronary heart disease. This pilot study investigated statin initiation by a Western Australian general practitioner cohort and the influence of prescriber and patient characteristics on prescribing. METHODS A structured vignette questionnaire was posted to members of the Fremantle GP Network. Respondents indicated their prescribing decisions for nine hypothetical patients who had recently suffered a myocardial infarction. Data analysis utilised logistic regression analyses and a generalised linear model with a logit link function. RESULTS Fifty-five GPs responded (16.0% response rate). In over 20% of cases a statin was not prescribed. Male (OR 4.71; 95% CI: 1.24–17.87) and GPs with fewer years in practice (4.50; 1.21–16.77) were more likely to prescribe appropriately. Younger patients (2.21; 1.38–3.53), and those with diabetes (1.74; 1.09–2.76) or hypercholesterolaemia (4.81; 2.88–8.03) were more likely to receive therapy.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	The National Heart Foundation of Australia, The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, statins, coronary heart disease, vignette.
Research Division:	Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:	Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
Research Field:	Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Stafford, L (Dr Leanne Chalmers)
ID Code:	58689
Year Published:	2009
Web of Science® Times Cited:	1
Deposited By:	Pharmacy
Deposited On:	2009-10-20
Last Modified:	2011-09-22
Downloads:	579 View Download Statistics