Variation in Prescriber Responses to Drug Safety Alert Messages: Disease, Symptom, or Red Herring?

摘要

In this issue of JMCP, Feifer and James provide significant food for thought in their examination of geographic variation in the rate of automated drug safety alerts as well as prescriber response to such alerts.1 Findings from this study suggest that the major influences on this variation are uncertain, as member demographics explained a relatively small proportion of the observed variance in alerting rates. The authors conclude that outreach and education are necessary to improve prescriber behavior where warranted.