Pattern And Types of Prescription Errors in the Outpatient Department of A Rural Hospital: A Prospective Observational Study

Background Prescription errors represent a major preventable cause of medication-related problems, particularly in rural healthcare settings where high patient load, handwritten prescriptions, and limited clinical pharmacy services increase the risk of prescribing inaccuracies. Prescription inaccuracies pose significant risks to patient safety, especially in resource-limited rural clinics reliant on manual scripts and facing heavy caseloads. Aim This PROSPECTIVE analysis aimed to quantify error prevalence, classify types, and recommend targeted fixes for outpatient prescribing at a rural facility. Methods From October 2024 to February 2025, A total of 3900 OPD prescriptions were screened out of 112 error-laden prescriptions from Rural Hospital, Ausa, Latur, Maharashtra, underwent review via a validated checklist. Errors fell into omission, dosing, legibility, duplication, inappropriate use, and admin categories. Descriptive stats via Excel summarized patterns. Results A total of 3900 OPD prescriptions were screened out of the 112 prescriptions analysed, 54 (48.21%) belonged to male patients and 58 (51.79%) to female patients. Omission errors were the most common 36.60% (n=41), followed by combined dosing and omission errors (19.64% n=22). Administrative errors such as incomplete patient details and missing prescriber identification were also frequently observed. Admin gaps like absent prescriber IDs hit 14.28%. Youth (6-17 years) saw highest volumes. Conclusion Prescription errors are common in rural outpatient settings and primarily result from incomplete documentation and dosing inaccuracies. Regular prescription audits, prescriber education, and adherence to standard treatment guidelines may significantly reduce preventable medication errors and enhance patient safety. Such lapses demand routine checks, training, and guideline adherence to boost safety in understaffed rural OPDs.