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National Prescribing Indicators 2022-2025

February 2023: In a move towards reviewing NPIs every three years, it has been agreed by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group that the NPIs agreed for 2022–2023 will be extended for an additional two years and become the NPIs for 2022–2025. The NPI Specifications document outlining thresholds and targets for the indicators will continue to be updated each year and will be made available below.

National prescribing indicators show how the different health boards in Wales prescribe certain medicines, and highlight any differences in prescribing patterns.

The World Health Organization defines rational prescribing as making sure that patients receive the right medicines for them, at the right doses and for the right length of time, and at the lowest cost to patients and their community.

National prescribing indicators are developed to promote rational prescribing of medicines in Wales. The choice of indicators is evidence-based and the indicators are designed to be clear and easily understood by prescribers and healthcare professionals.

The indicators allow health boards, primary care clusters, GP practices and prescribers to compare their current prescribing practice against an agreed standard of quality.

For 2022-2025, the National Prescribing Indicators: Supporting Safe and Optimised Prescribing focus on the following priority areas:

  • Analgesics (including opioids, tramadol, and gabapentin and pregabalin)
  • Anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation
  • Antimicrobial stewardship (including total antibacterial items and the ‘4C antimicrobials’: co-amoxiclav, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and clindamycin)
  • Decarbonisation of inhalers

These four priority areas were supported by additional indicators:

  • Safety
    • Prescribing safety indicators
    • Hypnotics and anxiolytics
    • Yellow Cards
  • Efficiency
    • Best value biological medicines
    • Low value for prescribing
⇩ National Prescribing Indicators 2022–2025: Supporting Safe and Optimised Prescribing 2,696KB (PDF)

(Published January 2022 - Updated October 2023)

Associated resources:

⇩ National Prescribing Indicators 2023–2024 - Specifications 429KB (PDF)

(Published June 2023 - Updated September 2023)

⇩ National Prescribing Indicators 2022–2025: Supporting Information for Prescribers and Healthcare Professionals 465KB (PDF)

(Published February 2022 - Updated October 2023)

⇩ Appendix – Anticholinergic effect on cognition score 21KB (PDF)

(Published January 2022)

19/01/2024
National Prescribing Indicators 2023-2024: Quarterly reports

The National Prescribing Indicators (NPIs) for 2022-2025 focus on four priority areas supported by additional safety and efficiency domains.

On a quarterly basis, a report is compiled analysing the performance of each health board against the current set of NPIs.

04/12/2023
National Prescribing Indicators 2022-2023: Quarterly reports

The National Prescribing Indicators (NPIs) for 2022-2025 focus on four priority areas supported by additional safety and efficiency domains.

On a quarterly basis, a report is compiled analysing the performance of each health board against the current set of NPIs.

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