Analgesia prescribing in primary care

The last research roundup provided you with an overview of some papers covering prescribing medication, indications and use in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Robertson, 2021). This month we will be covering guidance on the current practice of prescribing analgesia in a primary care setting and how the latest research impacts it. The review looks at three differing papers covering simple analgesia and guidelines, current analgesia use in people with osteo-arthritis and falls, and patterns of analgesia prescribing in low back pain.

This interrupted time series analysis published in the British Journal of General Practice looks at the impact of published guidance on prescribing rates of simple analgesia in primary care settings in England (Reichel et al, 2021). The authors are reviewing the impact of guidance published in March 2018 by NHS England, which sought to reduce the number and range of primary care prescriptions for simple analgesia (among other medications) that could be purchased by the patient over the counter.