Clinical audit of drug prescriptions in Nigeria: An urgent and lifesaving need

Abstract

A prescription is a legal document that should be carefully prepared. One of the duties of care which a doctor owes a patient is to write a drug prescription clearly, and failure to do so is negligence. One primary cause of medication error is lack of regular drug auditing and provision of necessary feedback after the process. In Nigeria, only a few studies have been done to audit prescriptions in some hospitals. There is a need to develop a standard prescription policy for use in hospitals in Nigeria that will help in reducing medication errors.