Prescription and Dispensing Practices at Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein Hospital (RMS), Jordan

Background: Rational prescribing, dispensing and patient use are the main components of rational drug use; on the other hand, the actual drug use pattern is not in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and is frequently irrational in many healthcare settings, mostly in developing countries. As a result, this study aimed to highlight common prescribing and dispensing practices At Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein Hospital (RMS) outpatient settings. Method: Across-sectional study design employed to determine the medication prescribing and dispensing practices At Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein Hospital (RMS). As per the WHO guideline for prescribing encounters, about 1000 prescriptions included in the study. Systematic random sampling was applied to achieve samples from encounters prescribed and dispensed from Dec 1 2018-Feb 1, 2019. The data evaluated against WHO standards for core drug use indicators. Results: The 1000 prescriptions were for a total of 2821 drugs, i.e. a mean of 2.8 (SD 0.2) drugs per prescription (range 1–8 drugs per prescription). A low percentage of drugs were prescribed by generic name in the studied hospital (1.8% of all prescribed drugs) the majority of prescriptions were prescribed with three drugs (31.1%). Above six drugs were prescribed in 2.3% and 1.2% respectively. Most patients received between three and four drugs (31.1% and 25.6% respectively). Conclusion: In the study there is a deviation from WHO standards in prescribing and dispensing practice. Education and supervision is needed to decrease errors in prescribing and dispensing practices.