EVALUATION OF LUCIDITY IN INTERPRETATION OF MEDICAL PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN IN PEDIATRIC OUTPATIENT BY THE PARENTS AND ATTENDING PHARMACISTS

Dr. U.N. Reddy, Dr Sadiqua Anjum, Dr J. Narsing Rao, Dr Swathi Chacham, Dr. Mohd Nasir Mohiuddin*, Dr Sana Afreen, Dr Mir S Adil, Dr Javeedullah

ABSTRACT

Introduction: there are various problems in understanding the prescriptions, interpreting and communicating have been documented across the health care. Medicines designed for the betterment of patients health can actually prove detrimental when misused. Therefore the medicines, side effects, usage, dosage and ingredients must be properly communicated. While most doctors and pharmacist can see the importance of patient’s knowledge of prescription when dealing with medicines, most of them hardly make appropriate efforts to communicate the same to them. Methodology: This is a cross sectional study done in the out-patient department of Princess Esra hospital, Hyderabad and the pharmacies attached to it from march to may 2014. It is a 1000 bedded teaching hospital, situated in Hyderabad, providing specialized tertiary level health care services to all strata of people. A total of 232 participants were enrolled in the study, out of which 202 could be followed up at the pharmacy to analyze drug dispensing. Aims and Objectives: This study aims at evaluation of adequacy of medical prescription written by pediatric practitioner and its understanding by the parent and the pharmacist .It also aims to assess the drug dispensing at the level of pharmacist and the parental understanding of the usage of the prescribed drugs. Results: it was noticed that among the antibiotics prescribed strength of the antibiotics was written only for 54.6% of the prescription while dose (100%), frequency (97.9%), and duration to be taken (99.4%) was adequately mention. When understanding the antibiotics in the prescription by parents was evaluated it was noticed that only 35.7% could understand the strength mentioned on the prescription while dose(70.9%), frequency( 68.8%) , duration to be taken (79.5%) could be understood by 70 – 80 % of parents. Conclusion: Antibiotics usage is very high compared to the usual requirement. They are chances of higher dose of antipyretics being given inadvertently due to prescription errors. Very high usage of antihistamines is seen which has been previously proved to be harmful for small children

Keywords: Prescription, pharmacy, understanding, pediatric.