Comparative Evaluation of Serial Prescription Audits on Quality of Prescription Behaviour in Tertiary Health Care Centres of North India and Northwest India
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUNDThe universal health coverage in developing countries including India requires access to essential medicines at affordable prices which can only be achieved with rational prescription behaviour of the prescriber.Aims-The main objective of this study was to study and compare the impact of serial prescription audits with active feedback on the prescription behaviours of the prescribers of two tertiary health care centres.Setting and Design-This is retrospective data-based cross sectional study conducted in outpatient department of Jhalawar Medical College and Hospital, Rajasthan (North-Western India, designated as Institution-I) and Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, Punjab (Northern India, designated as Institution-II) for total of two years. MATERIALS AND METHODSA comparative study of serial prescription audits in four cycles (three months each) was conducted at Jhalawar Medical College and Hospital, Rajasthan and at Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, Punjab for two years, one year i.e. two cycles in each hospital.One cycle included the prescriptions which were collected by using a digital camera from the outdoor patient departments every month (n=250 per month), for three months regularly.One cycle was followed by three months of no prescription audit.The serial prescription audits in two tertiary health care centres were compared.The parameters which were observed were-(a) the formats of the prescriptions (b) the WHO drug core indicators and (c) the legibility of the prescriptions as decided upon by the consensus group.Statistical Analysis-The data was analysed by using the Chi-square test. RESULTSA significant improvement was seen in parameters of prescription format and the WHO drug core indicators at the end of the 2nd and 3rd months of all cycles in both tertiary health care centres (p<0.05).The clarity of the prescriptions improved in the successive re-audits.However, there was not statistically significant difference in baseline as well as degree of improvement in abovementioned parameters when two tertiary health care centres were compared. CONCLUSIONSerial prescription audits and an active feedback definitely motivate the prescribers to write a rational prescription.But discontinuing the prescription audits reverses the improvement.
Authors: Naresh Jyoti, Amit Kumar
Institution: Adesh Medical College & Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2724500275