PH10.{3-4,6} | PH10.{3-4,6} | Rational Prescription Writing and Appraisal — SDL Guide — Summary & Reflection

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Rational prescribing requires both skill and systematic method. The WHO six-step prescribing process — define the problem, specify the objective, select the P-drug using efficacy/safety/suitability/cost criteria, write the prescription, inform the patient, and monitor — converts clinical reasoning into a complete, auditable prescribing decision. A legally valid prescription in India must include patient details, date, drug name (generic), strength, formulation, route, dose, frequency, duration, instructions, and the prescriber's name, registration number, and signature. Prescription appraisal evaluates completeness, legibility, rational drug choice, dosing appropriateness, and drug interactions/contraindications. Common prescribing errors — trailing zeros, missing registration numbers, absent duration, illegible handwriting — are predictable and preventable. Building a personal P-drug list for the conditions you commonly treat is the most practical product of applying this methodology.

REFLECT

Think of a prescription you have observed or drafted in clinical training. Apply the five-domain appraisal checklist to it now. What would you change? What element would you have previously omitted? Consider also: the WHO framework was designed in an era of paper prescriptions. How does electronic prescribing (e-prescribing, hospital information systems) change the risk landscape — which error types does it eliminate, and which new risks does it introduce (e.g. copy-forward errors, drop-down menu selection errors)?