Innovations rarely achieve widespread uptake even when there is evidence of their benefits. The 6-step WHO Guide to Good Prescribing has positive short- and long-term effects on prescribing practices in Europe. Although cheap, the Guide is not used in prescriber education across Africa. Given its disease burden and unmet needs, this is important to address because medication errors harm patients, increase costs and lead to poor quality of care.
The PROSPER project will inform the implementation of the WHO Guide in prescriber education in Africa by: appraising the evidence on rational prescribing in African primary care (scoping review), strengthening South-South partnerships to embed and sustain prescribing initiatives (network, horizon scan); upskill local educators and prescribers on rational prescribing (bulletins, webinars); and evaluate context-relevant implementation strategies of the Guide in prescriber education at four diverse African medical schools (implementation study).