2. A prescription order is written for diagnosis,prevention or treatment of a
specific patient's disease
Is written by a licensed practitioner
Is written as part of a proper physician-patientrelationship
Is a legal document, "prima facie" evidence in a court of law.
(side note…A prima-facie case is a lawsuit that alleges facts adequate to prove the
underlying conduct supporting the cause of action and thereby prevail.)
WHAT IS A PRESCRIPTION?
3. Literally
,"Recipe" means simply "T
ake...." and when a medical practitioner
writes a prescription beginning with "℞", he or she is completing the
command.
Was probably originally directed at the pharmacist who needed to take a
certain amount of each ingredient to compound the medicine (rather than
at the patient who must "take/consume" it).
DEFINITION
5. RX
T
raditional symbol for prescription
Use it to line up the other parts of the Rx
SUPERSCRIPTION
6. What is the pharmacist to take offthe shelf?
Drug Name
Dose = Quantity of drug per dose form
Dose Form = The physical entity needed,i.e.tablet, suspension,capsule
INSCRIPTION
7. What is the pharmacist to do with the ingredients?
Quantity to be dispensed (determines amount in bottle) Dispense # 24
For controlled substances write in numbers and letters (like a bank
check)
#24(twenty four)
Any special compounding instructions
SUBSCRIPTION
8. Instructions for the patient
Route of administration
Oral,nasally
,rectally
,etc
T
ake by mouth..,Give,Chew,Swallow whole,etc.
Number of dosage units per dose
T
ake one tablet,Give two teaspoonfuls,etc.
Frequency of dosing
every six hours,once a day…
Duration of dosing
for seven days,...until gone,...ifneeded for pain.
Purpose of medication
for pain,for asthma,for headache,etc.
VERY IMPORTANT to include purpose as this reduces errors!
Do not use “As directed”
Special instructions (shake well, refrigerate etc.)
Warnings
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P)TION
11. Abbreviation Latin Meaning
od Omni die Once a day
bid Bis in die T
wice daily
tid T
er in die Three times daily
qid Quarter in die Four times daily
hs (or qhs) (Quaque) hora somni At bedtime (each night)
pc Post cibum After meals (or not on an
empty stomach
prn Pro re nata As circumstances may require
po Per orem By mouth (orally)
pr Per rectum Rectally (suppository)
ac Ante cibum Before meals
LATIN USED IN PRESCRIPTION WRITING
12. Abbreviation Latin Meaning
q Quaque Every
stat Statim Immediately
Ad lib. Ad libitum Freely
npo Non per orem Nothing by mouth
od Oculus dexter Right eye
os Oculus sinister Left eye
ou Oculus uterque Both eyes
h Hora hour
ud Ut dictum As directed
gtt (gtts) Guttae Drop(s)
LATIN USED IN PRESCRIPTION WRITING
