2. Objectives
• To be able to interpret the common abbreviation
used in prescription and medication order
• To be familiar with Medical terms used in
medicine and pharmacy.
3. Prescription
• Order of medication issued by physician, dentist
or other properly licensed medical practitioner
• Prescribed medication is also known as
prescription
• Part of the professional relationship among the
prescriber, pharmacist and patient
• Usually written on reprinted forms containing
the traditional symbol (Rx) meaning, “recipe”,
“take thou” or “you take”
5. Prescription
• Broad Categories of Prescription
▫ Written for a single component or prefabricated
product and not requiring compounding or admixture
of a pharmacist
▫ Written for more than a single component and
requiring compounding
– Contain the quantities of each ingredient required
– Medications are prepared into various types of dosage
forms and delivery systems to ensure that medications is
administered appropriately and accurately
6. Prescription
• E-prescribing / E-prescription
▫ Medications are encoded into an automated data
entry system
▫ Advantages:
– Reduced errors due to prescription legibility
– Concurrent softwares are screened for drug
interaction
– Reduced incidence of altered or forged prescriptions
– Efficiency for both prescribers and pharmacists
– Convenience to the patient
8. Medication Order
• Other forms may be used depending on the unit
▫ Infectious disease, cardiac care, pediatric,
obstetrics, othopedics etc.
• Drug-specific forms may also be used
▫ Heparin dosing, electrolyte infusions, morphine
sulfate in patient controlled anesthesia
• Special forms used by clinical drug investigators
for their study protocol
9. Prescription and Medication Order Accuracy
• Responsibilities of the Pharmacist
▫ Ensure that Rx are correct in its form and content
▫ Rx is appropriate for the patient being treated
▫ Rx is subsequently filled, labelled and
administered accurately
10. Errors and Omissions
• Before dispensing, ensure that the prescription and
medication orders are correct for the following
aspects:
▫ Prescriber information (including address & telephone
number)
– DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) number for
authority to prescribe narcotics (S2 license)
– ID or License number of the physician
▫ Date of the Rx
▫ Patient information
– Dose relevant information like age or weight
▫ Drugs prescribed
– Dose, preparation strength, dosage form, quantity
11. Errors and Omissions
• Before dispensing, ensure that the prescription
and medication orders are correct for the
following aspects:
▫ Clarity of any abbreviations or symbols and/or
units of measure
▫ Refill and/or generic substitution
▫ Need for special labeling
– Expiration date, conditions for storage, foods and/or
other medications that should not be taken
concurrently
▫ Listing of ingredients to be compounded
12. Errors in Prescriptions
• Erroneous
▫ Brand name precedes generic
name
▫ Generic name in parenthesis
▫ Brand name not in
parenthesis
▫ What to do?
– Fill Rx
– File
– Report to FDA
13. Errors in Prescriptions
• Violative
▫ Generic name NOT written
▫ Generic name NOT legible
while brand name is
▫ Brand name is indicated
and instructed “NO
SUBSTITUTION” added
preventing generic
dispensing
▫ What to do?
– Do NOT fill
– File
– Report to FDA
14. Errors in Prescriptions
• Impossible
▫ ONLY the generic name is
written but NOT legible
▫ Generic name ≠ Brand
name
▫ BOTH generic and brand
name are NOT legible
▫ Prescribed drug NOT
registered in FDA
▫ What to do?
– Do NOT fill
– File
– Report to FDA
15. Use of Abbreviations
and Symbols
• Recommendations to Reduce Errors in the
Interpretation Rx & Medication Orders
▫ Whole number should not be written with a decimal point
or terminal zero
– 4 g not 4.0 g
▫ A quantity less than one should be shown with a zero
preceding the decimal point
– 0.4 g not .4g
▫ Leave a space between a number and a unit
– 4 mg not 4mg
▫ Use whole numbers and not decimal fractions if possible
– 100 mg not 0.1 g
16. Use of Abbreviations
and Symbols
• Recommendations to Reduce Errors in the
Interpretation Rx & Medication Orders
▫ Use the full names of drugs and not their abbreviations
– Phenobarbital not PB
▫ Use USP designation for the units of measure
– For grams, use g not Gm
▫ Spell out “units” and do not abbreviate International
Units
– “Units” instead of “U” , can be misread as µ
– “International Units” instead of IU, can be misread as IV
▫ Certain abbreviations that could be mistaken for other
abbreviations should be written
17. Use of Abbreviations
and Symbols
• Recommendations to Reduce Errors in the
Interpretation Rx & Medication Orders
▫ Avoid using “d” for day or dose because of profound
differences between terms
– As in mg/kg/day or mg/kg/dose
▫ Integrate capital letters to distinguish between “look
alike” drug names
▫ Amplify the prescribers directions on the prescription
label when needed for clarity
– Swallow one (1) capsule with water in the morning,
rather than AM
