Best practices: an intervention to promote evidence-based prescribing at a large psychiatric hospital.

An intervention to affect prescribing behavior was implemented at a large psychiatric hospital. Articles providing support for appropriate dosing of quetiapine were distributed to physicians, and peer discussions about prescribing practices were held. From April 2005 through December 2006, low-dose quetiapine prescriptions (<or=200 mg per day) were flagged. For four months, physicians writing low-dose prescriptions received personal feedback from the unit medical director, who encouraged appropriate alternatives. New low-dose prescriptions fell from 107 in July 2005 to 23 in December 2006. Monthly costs for quetiapine prescriptions declined by approximately $8,000. The intervention appeared to bring physicians' behavior more in line with evidence-based practices.