OBJECTIVES: To determine the nature and types of medication prescribing errors in Egyptian community setting. METHODS: The preparation of this study involved a survey of 800 medical prescriptions of different specialties collected from outpatients in Egyptian community setting and analyzed to determine the nature and types of medication prescribing errors. RESULTS: Out of the 2241 errors observed, the lack of diagnosis and patient information were noted in 17.89% and 14.77% respectively making them the top most medication error. This was followed by drug-drug interactions (DDIs) were noted in 13.97% of prescription, illegible handwriting in 8.66%,lack of signature in 7.89%,treatment duration not mentioned in 7.05%,unspecified allergy in 5.44%,inappropriate dose in 3.75%,drug without dose in 3.44%,use of abbreviations in 3.03%, inappropriate/lack of indication in 2.85%,  drugs without administration route in 2.81%,drugs with the same indication in 2.78%,dose higher than recommended in 2.10%,wrong frequency in 1.23%,drugs with wrong/inappropriate route in 1.22%,confusion with drug name in 0.76%,and inappropriate use of decimal points in 0.22% of prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Most prescriptions investigated were inadequate in terms of legibility, use of abbreviations and omitted items, entailing serious risks for patient safety; 2) All prescribing errors occurred are preventable; and 3) Electronic prescriptions, computerized physician order entry (CPOE), software assisted clinical decision may also significantly reduce prescribing errors.