Active-learning intervention for medication prescription writing in undergraduate medical education: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND: Medication prescription errors remain a major patient safety concern, while undergraduate training in prescription writing is still inconsistently addressed in medical curricula. AIM: To evaluate changes in medication prescription writing quality following an active educational intervention among undergraduate medical students. DESIGN AND SETTING: Quasi-experimental before-and-after study conducted with 40 third-semester medical students from a public university in Brazil. METHODS: The intervention consisted of eight stages involving simulated prescription activities, collaborative discussion, and feedback sessions. Prescription quality was assessed using the QualiPresc instrument at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at a 15-day follow-up. Repeated measures were analyzed using the Friedman test, considering a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The intervention was associated with significant improvements in prescription quality scores, particularly for the indicators "date of birth," "allergy record," "pharmaceutical form," "route of administration," and "non-pharmacological recommendations" (p < 0.001). The mean total prescription quality score increased from 73.47 at baseline to 95.34 immediately after the intervention and remained higher than baseline at the 15-day follow-up (87.80), suggesting partial retention of learning. CONCLUSION: The active teaching method was associated with improvements in medication prescription writing quality among undergraduate medical students, with partial retention of learning after 15 days. Although causal inferences cannot be established due to the absence of a control group, the findings suggest that this educational strategy may represent a promising approach for prescription safety education.