Hello-
Is anyone else working on analysing prescribing data from the gp_scripts table? Since three different coding systems are used (Read v2, dm+d, and BNF), it seems like a bit of a challenge. I'd be particularly interested if anyone has access to a full list of current and historical BNF codes with corresponding descriptions, that would be helpful, though I see that there is variation in the format of the BNF codes in this table (some with periods in between each set of 2 characters, others without).
Thanks in advance,
Eric Rose
Thanks for the inquiry. I haven't found a source for current and historical BNF codes. Instead, I have chosen the approach of querying the drug_name field directly. This is a bit laborious since it requires:
a. Determining the valid brand names for each generic drug name of interest (not a trivial task, and I found it necessary to use multiple sources-Happy to share my approach if anyone is curious)
b. Reviewing the results and coming up with exclusion terms to avoid false-positives (e.g. for analyses that required identifying use of a particular medication by systemic routes only, various terms and abbreviations indicating non-systemic forms needed to be identified)
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Hi Eric, in case you have already resolved this - would you be able to share your solution here?
Hello-
Thanks for the inquiry. I haven't found a source for current and historical BNF codes. Instead, I have chosen the approach of querying the drug_name field directly. This is a bit laborious since it requires:
a. Determining the valid brand names for each generic drug name of interest (not a trivial task, and I found it necessary to use multiple sources-Happy to share my approach if anyone is curious)
b. Reviewing the results and coming up with exclusion terms to avoid false-positives (e.g. for analyses that required identifying use of a particular medication by systemic routes only, various terms and abbreviations indicating non-systemic forms needed to be identified)
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