Why do hospitalists and IM house staff order PPIs?

Often for the wrong reasons in this study:

Sixty-nine percent of physicians reported prescribing SUP to greater than or equal to 25% of patients. In multivariable analyses, the following factors were associated with higher level of prescribing (greater than or equal to 25%) of SUP: fear of gastrointestinal bleeding (OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.07, 7.28) and of the legal repercussions of not prescribing SUP (OR = 3.02, 95% CI 1.07, 8.56), whereas knowledge of SUP indications (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.20, 0.74) and concern about side effects (OR = 0.24, 95% CI 0.09, 0.61) were associated with low prescribing behavior. Level of training was not associated with prescribing rate. Less than half of respondents were able to identify a single side effect of proton pump inhibitor therapy.