Prescription audit and assessment of drug use pattern using World Health Organization prescribing indicators in a tertiary care teaching and referral hospital in Himachal Pradesh, India
Journal Title: Journal of Medical Science And clinical Research - Year 2018, Vol 6, Issue 9
Abstract
Background: The quality of a prescription reveals the attitude of the prescriber towards rational prescribing. Rational use of drugs is an essential element in achieving high quality patient care. This study aims to audit the outpatient first encounter prescriptions using the WHO core prescribing indicators for rational use of drugs. Materials and Methods: 2469 prescriptions were audited over a period of three months in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Prescriptions were assessed with criteria for completeness, legibility and WHO core prescribing indicators values. Results and Conclusion: Prescribing errors were common. Poor legibility and polypharmacy were common. Generic drug names were rarely used. Antibiotic use was more than optimal. However, more than 80% of medications were prescribed from essential drug list. Percentage of injections was well within the optimal limit. Our recommendations for reducing prescribing errors are regular education and training of prescribers, ongoing monitoring, awareness and communication. Other safeguards against prescription errors are electronic prescribing, prescription review by clinical pharmacists and use of standard treatment guidelines by the prescribers. Teaching hospitals have a special responsibility to society to promote rational prescribing by their staff and, through them, the future generations of physicians.
Authors and Affiliations
Rajwinder Singh
Keywords
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