ABSTRACT
Background: Prescription writing errors can lead to deficiencies in healthcare. Although prescription writing is a part of the medical students' curriculum with traditional methods, their prescribing skills are still poor due to inadequate training. To fulfil the need for new educational interventions this study aims to compare patient-based teaching with case-based teaching in improving prescription writing skills of second year MBBS students.Methods: This prospective comparative study was carried out after orientation of participants to prescription writing as per WHO prescribing guidelines (n=71). Group A (n=37) and group B (n=34) were given patient-based teaching and case-based teaching respectively of prescription writing for the same five common clinical conditions. The prescription writing skill was assessed by evaluating the prescriptions written by both the groups and scored by 19-point scoring system. Feedback from the group A students was also taken.Results: Statistical analysis of mean scores of group A (15.90) and group B (13.14) was done by Mann-Whitney U test (p<0.001). Comparison of both the groups for the individual parameters was done by Chi-square test which found significant difference in writing some important parameters like doctor’s registration no., contacts of prescriber, name of the medicine, strength of drug, dosage form, dosing instructions, total quantity of medicine and duration of medication etc. Group A students’ feedback brought out the fact that patient-based teaching is a good tool for teaching and learning.Conclusions: Patient-based teaching for prescription writing improves students’ prescription writing skills in an effective way in comparison with traditional case-based teaching.
ABSTRACT
Background:Pharmacovigilance in psychiatry units can play vital role in detecting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and alerting physician to such events, thereby protecting the user population from avoidable harm. Objective: To assess the suspected ADRs profile of psychotropic drugs in psychiatry OPD of a tertiary care hospital and its comparison with available literature data as well as to create awareness among the consultant psychiatrists to these ADRs profile. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted in the psychiatry OPD. Thirty five consecutive patients per day were screened irrespective of their psychiatric diagnosis for suspected ADRs on 3 fixed days in a week from January 2011 to December 2011. CDSCO form was used to record the ADRs. Causality was assessed by WHO causality assessment scale while severity was assessed using Hartwig and Siegel scale. Results: Out of 4410 patients were screened, 383 patients were suspected of having at least one ADR. Thus, 8.68 % of our study population reported ADRs. Of 407 events recorded, 369(90.60%) were “probable” and rest “possible” according to WHO-UMC causality assessment scale. According to Hartwig and Siegel scale, 268 ADRs (65.85%) were “moderate” category. Twenty one different kinds of ADRs were noted. Conclusion: This study enables to obtain information on the incidence and frequency of ADRs in the local population that allows opportunity for education to the physicians to improve the patient’s quality of life.