Introducing a structured prescription form improves the quality of handwritten prescriptions in limited resource setting of developing countries

Introduction Incomplete or illegible prescriptions can lead to serious errors in administration of the prescribed medication, which can become hazardous. Objective Our aim is to determine if a structured prescription form can improve the quality of handwritten prescription in terms of completeness and legibility. Methods We conducted a prospective, non‐randomized, time series study of quality of written prescriptions of general practitioners at a tertiary teaching hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan. The study involved an intervention, composed of the introduction of a pre‐printed structured prescription form. The data were collected within 4 weeks including a 2‐week pre‐intervention phase and 2‐week post‐intervention phase. Completeness, quality of prescriptions and legibility were compared before and after the intervention of the pre‐printed structured prescription form. Results A total of 463 prescriptions were obtained (260 in the pre‐intervention phase and 203 in the post‐intervention phase). Between pre‐intervention phase and post‐intervention phase, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council registration number presence in prescriptions improved from 73.1% to 100% (P