Errors in writing prescriptions are common in hospital and outpatient clinical setups and a number of studies have been performed regarding prescription errors throughout the world but it is not yet enough in Karachi, Pakistan. The study was performed to identify the prescription writing trends of general practitioners in Karachi. A total of 100 prescriptions were randomly collected from different hospitals and clinics in Karachi from April 14-21, 2014. All prescriptions were analyzed to assess legibility (frequency of administration, route of administration, generic or brand name) and completeness (frequency of administration, route of administration, duration of prescription, signature of physician, generic or brand) of prescriptions. No prescription contained all essential components of prescription. Legibility was poor in 34% prescriptions. 100% prescriptions were prescribed by brand name. Patient age and gender were only mentioned in 54% and 52% respectively. Dosage form, frequency and duration of use were not written in 10%, 23% and 45% of prescriptions respectively. 6% of prescriptions were written without patient name. Over 34%, 15% and 26% of prescriptions did not have diagnosis, strength and route of administration. The highest proportion of prescription (96%) failed to demonstrate the patient allergies and the least number of prescriptions (10%) contain dosage form error. We observed a high frequency of illegibility and incompleteness in prescription writing. This indicates a need to establish the safety culture and in particular the awareness of professionals regarding the importance of writing, clear and complete prescription.

TITLE - PRESCRIPTION WRITING TRENDS OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN
AUTHOR - Tuba Siddiqui1, Talat Naqvi2, Lubna Bashir3, Saima Ramzan4, Saima Bashir5, Warda Malik6, Asma Ashraf7, Nida Shafique8
••••••IJSER Edition - January 2015

UNIVERSITY - Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology Karachi Pakistan
GUIDE NAME -
Tuba Siddiqui