Improving Use of Medicines and Medical Tests in Primary Care

This book is about optimizing the use of medicines and medical tests in primary care. It provides a comprehensive resource for students, researchers, health practitioners and administrators seeking information on how to design, implement, scale-up and build capability for interventions and programs that result in changes in prescribing and medical/diagnostic test ordering by health professionals. Drawing on work from Australia, Canada and the United States of America, the book begins with the evidence-base and theoretical frameworks that underpin successful behaviour change programs. It provides details on particular interventions such as clinical audit, academic detailing, choosing wisely and supports for consumers. Real world examples explore the process of designing, implementing and evaluating interventions and the factors that can help and hinder this process. This is a practical text that will be useful to the beginner and more experience program implementation professionals alike.