A recent study found that changing the default prescription length for statins to 90 days significantly increased the number of long-term prescriptions written, potentially improving patient adherence.
The intervention, which was implemented at the University of Pennsylvania’s health system in Philadelphia, set 90-day prescriptions as the default option in the electronic health record for statins. By the end of the study, the health system saw the proportion of 90-day prescriptions rise from 71% to 91%, according to an April 22 news release from Penn Medicine.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine on April 7, found that the change designed as a “nudge” to guide doctors toward better prescribing behavior had helped to reduce the need for patients to visit the pharmacy multiple times a year.
The findings suggest that default settings in EHRs can be a tool in increasing medication adherence without additional effort from clinicians, the release said.
