Medication Errors and WHO Compliance in Obstetrics–Gynecology Outpatient Prescriptions: An Audit-Based Insight

Abstract

Background: Outpatient medication errors are common yet preventable, and WHO prescription-writing standards are intended to enhance safety; obstetrics and gynecology (OBG) merits focused attention due to maternal–fetal risk and frequent polypharmacy.​ Objectives: To quantify prescribing and omission errors, evaluate adherence to WHO prescription-writing standards, and assess the association between the number of drugs per prescription and total errors in OBG outpatient prescriptions.​ Methods: A cross-sectional audit of 400 consecutively sampled OBG outpatient prescriptions over six months at a tertiary-care center used a WHO-based checklist covering patient identifiers, prescriber identifiers, drug details, and clarity; errors were categorized as prescribing or omission and graded using NCC MERP Categories A–C; descriptive statistics and regression tested the association of drugs-per-prescription with total errors; institutional ethics approval was obtained.​ Results: Generic prescribing was 9% (brand 91%); dosage strength was omitted in 35.2%; dosing frequency was fully compliant in 2.8%, partially compliant with non-standard abbreviations in 81.3%, and absent in 16%; duration appeared in 95.5%; legibility was acceptable in 96.8%; diagnosis was missing in 23%; prescriber name and signature were present in 83% and 87%; most errors fell in NCC MERP Category C; drugs-per-prescription showed a positive association with total errors.​ Conclusions: Substantial, remediable gaps persist in generic naming, dose strength and frequency documentation, and prescriber identifiers, compounded by error-prone abbreviations; adoption of standard operating procedures, targeted prescriber education, pharmacist review, and e-prescribing is recommended to reduce preventable harm in OBG outpatient care.​