Asghar Mehdi, Muhammad Mujtaba Ali, Shahid Rasheed, Sadia Ghousia.
The basic errors of prescription writing.
J Pak Dent Assoc Jan ;14(4):215-8.

OBJECTIVE: To collect data about basic errors in prescription writing where they most commonly occur, and to review the basic concepts of prescription writing for valid prescriptions. SUBJECT AND METHOD: Fatima Jinnah Dental College arranged a workshop on prescription writing. 54 individuals (dental house officers, demonstrators and postgraduate trainees) attended the workshop. A pre-workshop assessment was made by presenting a case and the participants were advised to write the prescription for the scenario. The difference between the valid and invalid prescription, as well as the errors from the invalid prescriptions were analyzed from the invalid prescription analyzed. The participants were then briefed by a pharmacist on medication errors and proper prescription writing methods. The case summary was then discussed by a physician, who brought into focus the clinical application of the didactic session. RESULTS: Results showed that of 54 participants only 7(13%) participants wrote valid prescriptions and 47(83%) participants wrote invalid prescriptions. Results of the invalid prescriptions showed that of 47 only 30(64%) have errors of prescription writing and the remaining 17(36%) have drug related errors. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded from the above study that the workshop on prescription writing is highly recommended for students so that proper drugs are given to patients. After participating in the workshop, students know the errors of prescription writing and acquire basic skills in writing valid dental prescription.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com