Elena Valverde Bilbao1*, Amaia Mendizabal Olaizola1, Guillermo Delgado Alvarado2, Itxaso Idoiaga Hoyos3 and Daniel Hernández Amunarriz4
1Primary Care Pharmacist, Bidasoa Hospital, Hondarribia, Bidasoa Integrated Healthcare
Organisation (IHO), Osakidetza, Spain
2Doctor Specialised in Family and Community Medicine, Irún-Centro Health Centre,
Irún, Bidasoa IHO, Osakidetza, Spain
3Doctor Specialised in Family and Community Medicine, Dumboa Health Centre, Irún, Bidasoa IHO, Osakidetza, Spain
4Gastroenterologist, Bidasoa Hospital, Hondarribia, Bidasoa IHO, Osakidetza, Spain
*Corresponding Author: Elena Valverde Bilbao, Primary Care Pharmacist, Bidasoa Hospital, Hondarribia, Bidasoa Integrated Healthcare Organisation (IHO), Osakidetza, Spain.
Received: June 24, 2020; Published: July 11, 2020
Objectives: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the drugs most commonly prescribed in our setting. The objective of the intervention was to assess whether a letter sent by post is more effective in achieving a reduction/cessation of long-term high-doses of PPI use than usual practice.
Methods: This was a randomised intervention study, with before-and-after outcome measures and a control group, in patients who had an active prescription for PPIs at high doses for at least 6 months. The intervention consisted of sending patients an informative letter by post, in which their doctor invited them to seek an appointment for a medication review. Control group patients did not receive such a letter, and they were treated as usual. The main outcome variable was the number of active prescriptions of each PPI dose (high dose/standard dose/treatment cessation) at 6 months after the intervention.
Results: Six months after the intervention, 8% of control group patients and 16.4% of intervention group patients were not on any PPIs. Additionally, among those with active prescriptions for PPIs, 6% of controls and 20% of intervention group patients had reduced their intake to the standard dose. Overall, cessation/reduction in the intervention group was higher than in the control group, 36.4% vs 14%, the difference being significant (22.4%; 95% CI: 14.1 to 30.7).
Conclusion: Sending a letter by post to patients who had been on high-dose PPI therapy for at least 6 months was found to be more effective for treatment cessation and/or dose reduction than usual practice.
Keywords: Proton Pump Inhibitors; Drugs; Spain
Citation: Elena Valverde Bilbao., et al. “Intervention by Post for Reducing the Chronic Use of High Doses of Proton Pump Inhibitors".Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 4.8 (2020): 03-08.
Copyright: © 2020 Elena Valverde Bilbao., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.