Survey on prescription errors in four different divisions of Bangladesh

Abstract

Prescription error is one of the most common reasons that implement a negative impact in the treatment procedure of a patient which is quite common in our country. In the current study, 120 prescriptions were randomly collected from four different divisions Dhaka, Barishal, Khulna and Rangpur. Different errors of those prescriptions were analyzed based on WHO guideline for an ideal prescription. Errors including missing of date, lack of patient’s previous history, illegible handwriting, drug-drug interaction, therapeutic duplication, devoid of special instruction for drug administration etc. were identified which is a serious threat to the proper ailment of a patient. Among four divisions less error was found in case of Dhaka whereas the rate of prescription error was alarming for other three parts of Bangladesh. These might be due to the lack of specialized doctors in other cities. This study can provide an insight to the regulatory body so that they can address this problem and take necessary steps to improve the conditions.