Title of article :
Physicians’ medication prescribing in primary care in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Literature review, part 1: variations in drug prescribing
Author/Authors :
Neyaz, Y. Ministry of Health - General Directorate for Quality Development, Saudi Arabia , Qureshi, N.A. Ministry of Health - General Administration for Mental Health and Social Services, Saudi Arabia , Khoja, T. 3Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Saudi Arabia , Magzoub, M.A. College of Medicine - Department of Medical Education, Saudi Arabia , Haycox, A. University of Liverpool - School of Management, UK , Walley, T. University of Liverpool - Department of Internal Medicine, UK
Abstract :
Rational prescribing is associated with improved safety in drug use, better quality of life for patients and cost-effective care. Medication prescribing is a relatively unexplored area of research in Saudi Arabia and until now most studies have been in the secondary and tertiary health care system. This paper is the first of 3 review articles that form the background for a series of 5 interconnected studies of prescribing patterns and medication errors in the public and private primary health care sectors of Saudi Arabia. A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify papers published in peer-reviewed journals over the previous 3 decades. The paper reviews variations in prescribing patterns and influences on physicians’ prescribing behaviour worldwide and in Saudi Arabia.
