Work package 3: the PINCER intervention

Evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a pharmacist-led IT-based intervention (PINCER) when widely implemented in general practice to reduce the prevalence of patients exposed to hazardous prescribing, and the incidence of serious harm.

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of PINCER when widely implemented in general practice to:

Reduce the prevalence of patient exposure to hazardous prescribing
Reduce the incidence of serious harm in patient are risk of hazardous prescribing
Provide value for money for the NHS

Setting and participants

General practices in the East Midlands of England

Method

Design: non-randomised multicentre incomplete stepped-wedged design whereby the intervention is introduced to successive groups of general practices (clustered in participating CCGs) in predefined ‘steps’.

Outcomes

Primary: the number and proportion of patients in each general practice exposed to at least one type of hazardous prescribing
Secondary: include serious harm associated with hazardous prescribing, hospital admission, and mortality