Rational drug use is defined as the prescription of appropriate medications in doses that meet patient needs for an adequate period at the lowest cost. Rational Prescribing satisfies patient needs for an adequate period at the lowest cost is rational drug use.

Irrational prescribing increases morbidity, polypharmacy, adverse medication responses, and antimicrobial resistance in developing healthcare systems. Prescription audits objectively evaluate prescribing trends and treatment guidelines.

Current study used rational drug use indicators to assess outpatient prescription procedures and identify   quality improvements. The WHO defines rational medication use as administering relevant medicines in right doses for an acceptable period at the lowest cost to patients and communities. Irrational prescribing causes adverse drug reactions, AMR, and unnecessary healthcare costs. To measure drug consumption and enhance quality, WHO advises routine monitoring using key prescription indicators. This study used WHO-aligned rational drug use indicators tailored to dataset factors to assess outpatient prescription patterns. The WHO defines rational medication use as administering relevant medicines in right doses for an acceptable period at the lowest cost to patients and communities. Irrational prescribing causes adverse drug reactions, antimicrobial resistance, and unnecessary healthcare costs. To measure drug consumption and enhance quality, WHO advises routine monitoring using key prescription indicators.  This study used WHO- aligned rational drug use indicators tailored to dataset factors to assess outpatient prescription patterns. The prescription of relevant pharmaceuticals in levels that satisfy patient needs for an adequate period at the lowest cost is rational drug use.

Irrational prescribing increases morbidity, polypharmacy, adverse medication responses, and antimicrobial resistance in developing healthcare systems. Healthcare providers in many clinical contexts must write prescriptions well. A well written prescription fits patients' therapeutic needs and reduces pharmaceutical errors during dispensing. Since prescriptions are legal documents, Registered Medical Practitioners must be careful while dispensing them. Medical regulators may discipline prescribers for medication errors, which can result in patient distrust, legal issues, and legal action. Medication mistakes cause roughly 41% of hospital admissions worldwide, causing significant societal and economic harm. Several research suggest that collaborative student-teacher sessions can assist students develop prescription writing skills. The medical curriculum includes P-drug exercises, problem based learning, and prescription-writing assignments. These educational methods teach students how to create a rational medication inventory, choose case-specific drugs, and improve patient adherence, reducing irrational and outdated clinical prescribing. Clear and legible prescriptions are as important as correct diagnosis and medicine selection    for the patient's condition, which affects the prescription's quality and efficacy. Several studies have shown that doctors' illegible handwriting has serious economic and health consequences for the community. Therefore, it is crucial to link numerous elements to provide the best patient therapy. By assessing clinical management, a prescription audit improves patient care and treatment outcomes. To meet WHO core prescribing indicators, Outpatient and Inpatient Departments (OPD and IPD) must have regular prescription audits. Audits can identify, assess, and reduce prescription writing errors, increasing pharmaceutical quality and safety.

Objective of Study: The objective of this study was to audit the drug prescriptions from the OPD of Medicine in a tertiary care teaching hospitals in Public and Private hospitals of Sialkot and Kharian to investigate and identify the recurring low-scoring parameters, and to incorporate corrective actions to help the prescribers improve the overall quality of prescriptions in OPD.