Journal of Pharmacovigilance

Abstract

Errors and Omissions in Private Clinics Prescriptions: A Survey of Prescription Writing In Duhok, Kurdistan Region- Iraq

Reveng Abdullah Abdulkareem, Omer Q. B. Allela, Salman d. Haji, Zozan kh edoo, Nadia m. Rasheed and Karina k. Ali

Background and aim: Prescriptions errors are currently a worldwide public health issue and it is one of the most serious errors. The aim of this study was to screen drug prescriptions written by physicians in outpatient private clinics in Duhok city for the essential elements of prescriptions.

Method: Cross-sectional study was carried out in private five outpatient clinics. Convenient samples of 516 prescriptions were collected from the selected private clinics and reviewed for the presence and accuracy of information contained.

Results: Only 18.25% of the drug written in generic name and 40.74 % as trade name. 87.46% of the prescribed drugs have the drug frequency on and 12.54% do not have the frequency on. The majority (64.10%) of the drugs prescribed in Duhok city are found without any consideration to food intake 61.63% of the prescriptions have it is the physician registration number. 96.32% of the prescriptions collected include the name of the patient, 46.90% includes the age, and only 5.43% includes the sex.

Conclusion: Many errors found in prescriptions reviewed and most of the physicians don’t follow the rules for standard prescribing pattern. Moreover, patients might be at risk of therapeutic failure due to errors happen during the prescription writing, dispensing and administration