Analysis of the quality of prescriptions at a cardiovascular ward in Brazil: a pilot study

Aim of study To analyze the quality of prescriptions in a hospital in Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional pilot study of the quality of prescriptions of adult patients admitted at the cardiovascular ward. Data were collected with the help of a structured form developed by the researchers based on related literature, with items about medications and completeness of prescriptions. The form was divided into four categories of prescription quality indicators: prescription type, legibility and readability of handwriting, and completeness. Main outcome measures 100 patients participated in the study, with ages between 20 and 94 years (mean of 67.12 ± 16.6 years), We analyzed 5,030 on 496 prescriptions for 100 patients. Of 11% the handwriting was considered to be less legible and 17% considered illegible. In terms of readability, a high incidence of medications were prescribed by their brand names (89%), and 13,707 abbreviations (mean of 27.6 per prescription) were used mainly to refer to the route of administration (31%), concentration (27%), and indications for use (20%). In relation to completeness, 471 (95%) prescriptions were considered incomplete, mainly medication data. Conclusion The quality indicators used in this study revealed a high rate of prescription problems and errors.