PRESCRIPTION AUDIT IN AN OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT PHARMACY OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OF ODISHA
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Keywords
Prescription audit, World Health Organization, prescribing trends, rational drug use
Abstract
Background: A prescription audit is a quality improvement process to improve patient care. In order to maximize patient outcomes and reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medication errors, prescription audits are essential for evaluating prescribing trends and guaranteeing adherence to established treatment guidelines. According to estimates, half of all patients do not take their medications as directed, and more than half of all medications are prescribed, distributed, or sold improperly worldwide. Therefore, prescription auditing is a crucial tool for preventing drug abuse and promoting more rational drug use.
Methodology: It is a prospective observational study conducted at the District Head Quarter Hospital & Shri Jagannath Medical college and Hospital (SJ MCH), Puri. The prescriptions were collected and analyzed using World Health Organization (WHO) core indicators.
Results: The average number of prescription was reported to be at 3.99. The percentage of prescription with generic name was 93%. The percentage of prescriptions containing antibiotic was 17%. The percentage of drugs from Essential Drug List (EDL) was 90%. The percentage of prescriptions containing injections was 5.68%.
Conclusion: This prescription audit conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Odisha reveals an encouraging trend in rational prescription practices, with over 94% compliance across most format and completeness parameters. Future audits should be expanded to incorporate WHO patient care and facility metrics in order to improve overall quality of care and gain a more thorough understanding of drug use practices.
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Rajlaxmi Upadhyay
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital, Puri
Bimal Kumar Sahoo
Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital, Puri
Deepak Kumar Behera
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, SCB Medical College and Hospital, Sishubhaban
Sailen Kumar Mishra
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital, Puri.
Manas Ranjan Upadhyay
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, FM MCH, Balasore.