Objective: Using criteria based on the bibliography, to assess drugs prescription in a Health Centre, in order to put forward corrective measures in line with the defects identified.
Design: Descriptive and retrospective study.
Setting: Santa Maria de Benquerancia Health Centre (Toledo).
Participants: A sample of 40% of the clinical records of patients over 14 produced records of patients treated with drugs for psychic disorders between October 1990 and October 1991.
Measurements and main results: 248 prescriptions for these drugs were found. The most common diagnoses were: neurotic depression (33.1%), anxiety (25.8%) and insomnia (10.1%). Benzodiazepines made up 78.2% of the prescriptions. Of 8 quality criteria assessed, the compliance level was acceptable by WHO standards except in the recording in the notes of the diagnosis or problem for which the drug was prescribed (74.2% non-compliance); Alprazolam and Triazolam were not considered first-choice benzodiazepines (31.3% non-compliance); and there was 44.5% non-compliance by Primary Care physicians with the non-prescription of anti-psychotic or stimulant MAO inhibitor antidepressants.
Conclusions: Quality-control studies, such as this one, in order to identify problems, to take corrective measures and subsequently assess them, are useful in improving care procedures.