Prescribing knowledge and skills of final year medical students in Nigeria

Objectives: To assess the knowledge of final year medical students in Nigeria, about good prescribing and the application of this knowledge to their prescribing skills. Materials and Methods: Thirty four final year medical students of the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, were interviewed with a structured questionnaire that assessed their knowledge on the principles of good prescribing. They were also requested to write a prescription, based on a paediatric clinical scenario of malaria and upper respiratory tract infection. The prescription was used to assess their prescribing skills. Results: Thirty one (91.18) students knew that rational prescribing involved prescribing correct dosage of an appropriate medicine formulation. Factors considered important by the students to prescribe rationally were: Potential benefit : risk ratio of a medicine - 33 (97.06); good knowledge of pharmacology - 29 (85.29) and pathophysiology of the disease to be treated - 24 (70.59); and safety of an alternative medicine to be used - 24 (70.59). An average of 3.71 medicines was prescribed for a child suspected to have malaria. Antimalarials (38.24) and paracetamol (20) were the most frequently prescribed medicines. The name and signature of the prescriber were available in 51.61 and 58.06 prescriptions, respectively. Less than 50 prescriptions had the name, case file number, age and gender of the patient. Conclusion: The final year medical students of LASUCOM would require theoretical and practical teaching of principles of rational prescribing to improve their prescribing knowledge and skills.