Irrational drug prescription in Lebanon

Irrational use of drugs is a major problem worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over half of all drugs are prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately. Inappropriate drug prescriptions have a negative impact on quality and safety of treatment, promote drug resistance, diminish patient trust in the healthcare system and increase the economic burden on the patient and the healthcare system at large. A lucrative business Inappropriate prescribing practices for certain prescription drugs is a common problem in Lebanon. A recent study by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the WHO shed light on the serious issue of antimicrobial resistance which was attributed to the inappropriate use of antimicrobials, overuse of injections and failure to prescribe in compliance with clinical guidelines and inappropriate self-medication of prescription-only medicines (WHO, 2015). Another study found that 40 percent of all prescriptions in seven hospitals in Lebanon contained an error, of which