@article {Rognstadbjgpopen18X101373, author = {Sture Rognstad and Mette Brekke and Ibrahimu Mdala and Arne Fetveit and Svein Gjelstad and J{\o}rund Straand}, title = {Characteristics of GPs responding to an educational intervention to minimise inappropriate prescriptions: subgroup analyses of the Rx-PAD study}, elocation-id = {bjgpopen18X101373}, year = {2018}, doi = {10.3399/bjgpopen18X101373}, publisher = {Royal College of General Practitioners}, abstract = {Background Interventions aimed at improving GPs{\textquoteright} prescribing practice usually apply a {\textquoteright}one size fits all{\textquoteright} when analysing intervention effects. Few studies explore intervention effects by variables related to the GPs{\textquoteright} age, sex, specialist status, practice type (single-handed versus group), practice setting (urban versus rural), and baseline performance regarding the target of an intervention.Aim To explore the characteristics of the GPs responding to a comprehensive educational intervention.Design \& setting A secondary analysis of a cluster, randomised educational intervention in Norwegian general practice. Pre-intervention data were captured from January 2005 to December 2005, and post-intervention data from June 2006 to June 2007. The intervention was carried out from January to June 2006.Method Eighty continuing medical education (CME) groups, including 449 GPs aged 27{\textendash}68 years, were randomly allocated to either an education intervention arm (41 groups, 250 GPs) or a control arm (39 groups, 199 GPs). The primary outcome was GPs{\textquoteright} change in potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) per 100 prescriptions issued to patients aged >=70 years. The interaction between intervention outcome and variables related to the GPs and their practices were tested.Results Improvements in prescribing were highest among GPs aged 57{\textendash}68 years (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.77 [95\% confidence interval {CI} = 0.73 to 0.81]), those who were specialists (IRR = 0.80 [95\% CI = 0.78 to 0.82]), and those who worked in single-handed practices (IRR = 0.75 [95\% CI = 0.68 to 0.83]), among GPs with 2.4 to 2.9 PIPs per 100 prescriptions at baseline (IRR = 0.74 [95\% CI = 0.70 to 0.78]), and GPs with >=15 prescriptions per patient per year at baseline (IRR = 0.77 [95\% CI = 0.73 to 0.80]).Conclusion The GPs with the lowest adherence to recommended practice at baseline improved their practice most.}, URL = {https://bjgpopen.org/content/early/2018/02/19/bjgpopen18X101373}, eprint = {https://bjgpopen.org/content/early/2018/02/19/bjgpopen18X101373.full.pdf}, journal = {BJGP Open} }