Assessment of Prescription Quality in Cardiovascular Patients Using the Prescription Quality Index Tool: A Prospective Study

Introduction: The Prescription Quality Index (PQI) is a tool consisting of 22 questions designed to assess the quality of prescriptions. A good prescription should be evidence-based, rational, complete, and precise, ultimately improving treatment outcomes. PQI includes 22 parameters and has been hailed as the perfect instrument for use across a broad range of drugs and clinical problems. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the prescription quality of patients with cardiovascular disorders admitted to the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU). Materials and Methods: The present prospective study was conducted in the ICCU of Shri B M Patil Medical college, Hospital and Research Centre, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India, from July 2023 to 2024. It included 151 patients admitted to the ICCU. The medications provided to cardiovascular patients were assessed using the PQI questionnaire. Each of the 22 questions has an answer for each of the medications specified in a single prescription. PQI answers range from 0-4 for very significant criteria, 0-2 for essential criteria, and 0-1 for less critical criteria. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was employed to assess the relationship between each variable and the total PQI score, establishing a threshold for statistical significance at a p-value of less than 0.05. Results: Out of 151 cases, it was found that 146 prescriptions (96.7%) did not include the least expensive drug available. There was only one documented case (0.7%) of drug-drug interactions. Furthermore, only 1 (0.7%) prescription was written using generic names. The legibility of prescriptions was deemed adequate in 66 (44%) cases. Prescriber and patient information were provided appropriately in 59 (39%) cases. Overall, the PQI scores suggested that all prescriptions demonstrated a high level of quality. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that high-quality prescriptions can be achieved through the diligent care doctors take while prescribing, in the intensive cardiac care setting of a tertiary care hospital. This quality is ensured by adhering to the key principles of good prescription writing, which have to be followed by all practitioners, to avoid unnecessary complications and burden.