A prescription audit using the who core drug use indicators in a rural health training center of Pondicherry

Introduction: Prescription auditing is an important tool to assess the appropriateness of drug dispensing in any health-care setup. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prescriptions as per the World Health Organization (WHO) core indicators. Materials and Methods: The study is an observational study undertaken in the outpatient department of the rural health training center. About 310 prescriptions were analyzed for their completeness as per the WHO guidelines. Results: The auditing showed the distribution of gender as 62.90% in the male category and 37.09% in the female category. The age distribution of the prescription falls across the ages from 1 to 60 years with 64.51% in the under-five categories, 54.83% in the adolescent category, 17.74% in the middle age group, and 38.70% in the geriatric age group. The prescription indicators such as name and age of the patient, hospital id, dose of the drug, and duration of treatment were completely recorded in the out patient (OP) slip. The parameters like were near to completion such as history (98%), examination (99%), and signature with the name of the doctor (96.12%). Generic names of the drugs are entered in 89.67%, investigations were ordered in 63.87%, and follow-up was advised only in 54.19% of the prescriptions. Handwriting in capitals was only in 56.77% and the registration number of the doctor was entered only in 46.77% of the prescriptions. Conclusion: This study showed some pitfalls in the areas of prescribing indicators which have to be sorted out through proper training of the medical officers and interns posted in the health centers.