Illegible writing, brand names: Govt hosp prescriptions under scanner
Times of India | 20 December 2025
Kolkata: From illegible handwriting and rampant use of brand names of medicines, to incomplete drug instructions, the prescription audit across state-run health facilities found several critical gaps in prescription practices by its doctors. Following the identification of these gaps, the state health department instructed all health facility heads and CMHOs to ensure strict compliance with prescription audit guidelines and to rectify the deficiencies found during the audit conducted over the past six months.
Sources in the health department said that illegible handwriting by prescribing doctors emerged as the most common deficiency in audit reports submitted by health units across the districts, while the use of brand names of drugs for both admitted and OPD patients was rampant. The result of the audit also pointed out critical information, like the name and signature of the prescribing doctor, along with the date and time, often missing from prescriptions.
Other gaps that emerged included the absence of patients' clinical diagnosis in prescriptions, omission of relevant patient information, like vital parameters, and incomplete drug instructions like duration of treatment, clinical instructions, dose, and route of administration.
Health officials said a large chunk of patients in govt hospitals come from economically weaker backgrounds with limited educational status, and hence, the prescription needs to be easily understood by them. They also pointed out that while prescription gaps were found to be more common in secondary and primary healthcare set-ups, a few prescriptions from tertiary-care institutes were found erring on the same.
"These deficiencies undermine patient safety, treatment efficacy, and the principles of rational drug therapy. Therefore, all authorities and prescribing medical professionals concerned are directed to strictly adhere to a certain format circulated to all state-run healthcare units," a health official said.
The format mandates prescribing all medicines in capital letters and using only generic names of the drugs. For accountability, the recently issued guideline also directs the prescriptions have the full signature and printed name of the doctor, along with the date and time.
"All healthcare unit heads have been asked to circulate this guideline to every doctor in their respective units. Such prescription audits will be carried out periodically, and we will keep tabs on whether correctional measures are being taken on the deficiencies, and prescriptions are being done according to this mandatory guideline," the health official said.