Drug prescription practice and behavior: A narrative review with special emphasis on prescribing patterns in Libya

Abstract

Counseling has evolved into an essential component of community pharmacy practice. Patient counseling and addressing drug-related problems are the pharmacist's key activities to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines. There are currently no solid theoretical foundations for research on physician prescribing choices. In fact, doctors' drug prescriptions are a complex phenomenon that are influenced by a number of factors. The majority of current studies in the field of drug prescription use an exploratory approach rather than a theoretical one to describe how doctors make decisions. In Libya, a prescription of medications can easily be obtained from community pharmacies without prescription, resulting in potential drug misuse and health hazard. It was stated previously that there was overprescribing of certain categories of drugs written by Libyan physicians which necessitating further improvement. This review aimed to describe the dispensing practice of prescribed medicines in daily community pharmacy practice in Libya, focusing on counseling, and rational prescription based on the World Health Organization prescribing indicators.