ASSESSMENT OF THE AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE AMONG PRACTISING DENTISTS AND GENERAL PHYSICIANS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION WRITING: A SURVEY

Abstract

The medical prescription is a legal document and prescribing errors may contribute to complications and medico-legal problems. Hence the following study was undertaken to assess and reinforce the prescription writing skills Aim: To assess the awareness and knowledge among practicing dentists and general physicians about prescription writing. Objectives: 1)To evaluate the prescription writing skills of practicing dentists and general physicians. Materials and methods: 1. The Ethical approval was taken. 2.Sample size was calculated to be 330. 3. The doctors were asked to give a written consent and prescribe - a) Antibiotic b) Analgesic c) Antacid 4.The prescriptions were collected and were divided into three Groups BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), MDS (Master in Dental Surgery) and General Physicians. 5.The observations were tabulated and statistical analysis was done. Results: The results showed that there was statistically significant difference between the three Groups in the criteria of Patient identification, Drug information and Legibility except the Doctors identification criteria. Conclusion: Awareness of the importance of proper prescription writing for avoiding any complications and reinforcement of prescription writing skills is required. Keywords: prescription, physicians, practicing dentist