OPTIMIZING MEDICATION USE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPEDICS: A PRESCRIPTION AUDIT AT A MEDICAL COLLEGE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND.

Background: A prescription, is a written communication from a physician to the pharmacist, instructing them to deliver specific prescription drug/s for the specific patient. Prescription audits are fundamental in upholding the hospital's high standards for patient care. Aim: The purpose of this observational cross-sectional study was to review, screen, and analyze the prescriptions from the Department of Orthopedics at a Medical College Teaching Hospital in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and to identify and resolve the low-scoring characteristics to augment the prescription quality of our Centre. Methodology: The Prescriptions were analyzed in the Department of Pharmacology associated with the Teaching Hospital, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, in terms of legibility, and completeness in terms of prescribers’, patients, and drug information using the WHO core prescribing indicators. The collected data was analyzed in Microsoft Excel. Results: The total number of prescriptions analyzed was 750, containing a total of 2588 drugs i.e. on average 3.45 drugs per prescription. More than 42% of the prescriptions lacked the duration of therapy. Allergic history was lacking in more than 75% of the prescriptions. Cholecalciferol D3 was the most commonly prescribed drug in 482 patients (64.3%) whereas, Aceclofenac was the most commonly prescribed NSAID in 128 patients (17.6%) followed by Paracetamol and Etoricoxib in about 15.7% and 15.3% respectively. About 71% of prescriptions were deemed to be of excellent legibility. Conclusion: This study helped us understand the role of prescribing the drugs by their generic names and standard treatment guidelines. To raise the standard of patient care, we strongly advise that similar research be carried out to educate medical faculty on judicious prescribing.