Assessment of The Common Practices for Writing Dental Prescriptions among Different Departments of a Dental College and Hospital in India: A Retrospective Study

Prescription standardisation can minimise errors, improve safety and prevent antimicrobial resistance. Errors in prescription writing require to be audited so that necessary corrective steps are taken in the right direction. A retrospective record-based study was carried out in a private dental college and hospital in India. One hundred and fifty prescriptions over a period of 3 months were collected and scrutinised. Several variables were included in the assessment such as the mentioning of date, doctors name, signature/counter signature, patient registration number, diagnosis, handwriting (legibility), completeness of instruction, commonly prescribed antibiotics, analgesics, topical formulations, antacids and miscellaneous drugs, and the use of generic and trade names. Overall, few prescriptions had all the necessary elements and prescriptions varied widely. The study identifies the need for guidelines and efforts for prescription standardisation and monitoring.