Below are the database queries which are used to create this measure. These are run against a copy of the BSA prescribing data which we store in Google BigQuery. We're working on making our BigQuery tables publicly available at which point it will be possible to run and modify these queries yourself. But even where code and database queries are not directly useable by others we believe it is always preferable to make them public.
| Description | Percentage of prescriptions for blood glucose testing lancets not included in NHS England commissioning recommendations |
|---|---|
| Why it matters | Many people with diabetes test their blood glucose levels, using a blood glucose meter, in order to help control their diabetes by adjusting diet and the dose of medicines. Users use a “lancet” in order to prick their finger to draw a drop of blood for use with the meter. These lancets fit specific lancing devices, and are only used once. In April 2023 NHS England published commissioning guidelines, recommending specific meters, test strips and lancets. Please note: OpenPrescribing.net measures also have a consistent way of visualising measures, where 'lower is better', and therefore in this case we show the proportion of lancets which are NOT in the NHS commissioning recommendations. |
| Tags | Diabetes, Standard |
| Implies cost savings | No |
| Authored by | richard.croker |
| Checked by | christopher.wood |
| Last reviewed | 2024-08-05 |
| Next review due | 2025-08-05 |
| History | View change history on GitHub → |
SELECT
CAST(month AS DATE) AS month,
practice AS practice_id,
SUM(items) AS numerator
FROM hscic.normalised_prescribing
WHERE LOWER(bnf_name) LIKE '%lancets%' # All lancets
AND (bnf_code NOT IN
('21010900637', # Glucoject lancets PLUS 0.2mm/33gauge (A. Menarini Diagnostics Ltd)
'21010900736', # AgaMatrix Ultra-Thin lancets 0.2mm/33gauge (AgaMatrix Europe Ltd)
'21010900735', # AgaMatrix Ultra-Thin lancets 0.35mm/28gauge (AgaMatrix Europe Ltd)
'21010900620', # Microlet lancets 0.5mm/28gauge (Ascensia Diabetes Care UK Ltd)
'21012600154', # On Call lancets 0.3mm/30gauge (Connect2Pharma Ltd)
'21010900689', # GlucoRx lancets 0.31mm/30gauge (GlucoRx Ltd)
'21010900853', # GlucoRx Safety lancets 1.6mm/30gauge (GlucoRx Ltd)
'21010900855', # GlucoRx Safety lancets 1.8mm/26gauge (GlucoRx Ltd)
'21010900854', # GlucoRx Safety lancets 1.8mm/28gauge (GlucoRx Ltd)
'21010900856', # GlucoRx Safety lancets 2.2mm/23gauge (GlucoRx Ltd)
'21010900729', # GlucoZen lancets 0.36mm/28gauge (GlucoZen Ltd)
'21010900935', # Neon Verifine Safety lancets 1.8mm/28gauge (Neon Diagnostics Ltd)
'21010900936', # Neon Verifine Safety lancets 1.8mm/30gauge (Neon Diagnostics Ltd)
'21010900728', # Greenlan lancets 0.35mm/28gauge (Neon Diagnostics Ltd)
'21010900946', # 4SURE lancets sterile single use 0.195mm/33gauge (Nipro Diagnostics (UK) Ltd)
'21010900945', # 4SURE lancets sterile single use 0.32mm/30gauge (Nipro Diagnostics (UK) Ltd)
'21010900684', # CareSens lancets 0.31mm/30gauge (Spirit Healthcare Ltd)
'21010900725', # CareSens lancets 0.36mm/28gauge (Spirit Healthcare Ltd)
'21010900563', # TRUEplus lancets 0.32mm/30gauge (Trividia Health UK Ltd)
'21010900512', # TRUEplus lancets 0.36mm/28gauge (Trividia Health UK Ltd)
'21010900564', # TRUEplus lancets 0.195mm/33gauge (Trividia Health UK Ltd)
'21012600193')) # AgaMatrix Comfort Twist lancets 0.32mm/30gauge (AgaMatrix Europe Ltd)
GROUP BY month, practice_idSELECT
CAST(month AS DATE) AS month,
practice AS practice_id,
SUM(items) AS denominator
FROM hscic.normalised_prescribing
WHERE LOWER(bnf_name) LIKE '%lancets%' # All lancets
GROUP BY month, practice_id