Abstract

Background: Prescription writing is an essential and a basic skill to be acquired by medical students during their training. Specific training and supervision in writing a rational prescription should be emphasized during undergraduate teaching to minimize prescription errors.

Aims and Objectives: The prime objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the second-year MBBS students to write a prescription and to assess the effectiveness of hands on training on appropriate prescription writing.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among 117 second-year MBBS students. Students were asked to write prescriptions for three case scenarios. An educational interventional session and hands on training was conducted. Post session the students were asked to write prescriptions for three different case scenarios. All the prescriptions were analyzed and feedback was given to the students.

Results: 350 prescriptions each were collected pre- and post-educational interventional sessions from the students. The completeness of the prescriptions were analyzed on the basis of the prescriber and drug-related components. A widespread lacunae was observed in the prescription writing skills of the medical students, which improved significantly (P < 0.05) after the educational interventional sessions and hands on training.

Conclusion: This study shows that hands on training has improved the prescription writing skills of the medical students. This type of training should be included as a part of pharmacology practical curriculum.

Key words: Prescription Writing; Prescribing Errors; Educational Interventional; Hands On