PRESCRIPTION

Definition of Prescription:
A written order by a registered physician,
dentist or veterinarian directing to the
pharmacist to prepare or dispense medication
for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a
disease.

1
TYPES OF PRESCRIPTION:
There are two types of prescription.
- Precompounding Prescription:
Prescription for already prepared drug
eg. Capsules, Tablets etc.
-Extemporaneous Prescription:
Pharmacist prepares the medication
according to the drugs doses and
dosage form designated by the
physician, eg. dispense 10℅ something
2
Requirement of a prescription: The elementary requirement of a
prescription are that should state what is to be given to whom
and by whom prescribed, and give instruction on how much
should be taken how often by what route and sometimes for

how long.

– Date
– Address of doctor
– Name, age and address of patient
– Rx: You take
– Name and dose of medicine
– Directions to the pharmacist, if any mix, make a
solution.
– Instruction for the patient, to be written on container
by the pharmacist.
– Signature of doctor
3
 PARTS OF AN IDEAL PRESCRIPTION

An ideal prescription should have the

following parts:
• 1) Superscription
• 2) Inscription
• 3) Subscription
• 4) Transcription and
• 5) Signature

4
 DESCRIPTION OF PARTS OF A PRESCRIPTION

• 1) Superscription: Superscription includes-

- Information about theprescribers.

- Information about patients

- Rx (you take, Take thou)

• 2) Inscription: It gives information about the name of the drug
(generic or trade name), its formulation and unit dosage.
• 3) Subscription: It provides information to the pharmacist about
quantity and the dosage form of the drug to be dispensed. 5
DESCRIPTION OF PARTS OF A PRESCRIPTION

• 4) Transcription: It the prescriber, s

direction to the patient contains instruction
about the amount drug, time & the
frequency of dosage to be taken.

• 5) Signature: Prescription should be

singed by the prescriber.

6
 Rational Steps or Basis of Prescription writing:

• Making a specific diagnosis

• Considering the pathophysiologic implication of the

diagnosis
• Selecting a specific therapeutic object

• Selecting a drug of choice

• Determining the appropriate dosing

• Designing a plan for monitoring the drugs action and

determine the end point of the therapy
• Planning a program of patient education 7
Make a specific diagnosis
• A specific or tentative diagnosis is required
for the next step. Writing disease name
and characteristics at the left side of the
prescription. For example , Joint pain,
inflammation etc.

8
Consider the pathophysiologic
implication of the diagnosis:
• Know specifically the causes of disease.For
example if we have knowledge about the
mediators of the inflammation then it will be
more effective the use of NSAID.
• Patient should provided with more
appropriate level and amount of
information's.
• It should make an information sheet.

9
Select a specific therapeutic object
• A therapeutic objective should be choosen
for each of the pathophysiologic process.
In rheumatoid arthritis, relief of pain by
reduction of the inflammatory process is
one of the major therapeutic goals that
identify the drugs groups.

10
Select a drug of choice
• Therapeutic goals suggests one or more
drugs groups. From that groups a drug of
choice should be selected considering
specific characteristics.

11
Determine the appropriate dosing regiment:

• Considering sensitivity, tolerance ,and

pharmacological benefits appropriate
dosing should be determined.

12
Devise a plan for monitoring the drugs
action and determine the end point of the
therapy:
• Prescriber should describe the patients,
the kinds of effects to be monitored for
short or long term basis. After observation
of test reports, he says that this
medication for these days.

13
 Plan a program of patient education

• Prescriber and other associated member

of the health team should prepared to
repeat, extend or reinforce the information
transmitted to the patient as often as
necessary.
• The more toxic the drug prescribed the
greater the importance of this educational
program.

14
 PRESCRIBING ERRORS:
Several types of prescribing errors are
particularly common. These include the
followings:
-omission of needed informations
-poor writing perhaps leading to errors of
drug dose or timing and
-prescription of inappropriate drugs.

15
Omission of needed information's:

These are common in hospital orders. For

example if we write , ‘continue present IV
fluids,’ which fails to state exactly , what
fluids are to be given , what volume, and
what time period , or continue eye drops,
which omits mention of which eye, which
concentration and which frequency.

16
 Poor prescription writing :
This is common and dangerous. One of the most
important is misplaced or ambiguous decimal point.Thus
“.1” is easily misread as “1.” a tenfole overdose.to avoid
this error it should write a decimal point preceeding a
zero. Unnecessary zero after a decimal point increases a
risk of tenfold overdose, because “1.0 mg” is easily
misread as “10mg” whereas “1mg” is not.Similarly 10U
may misread as 100, “l” for “1” ug for microgram not ug
as because ug may misread as mg.

17
Inappropriate drug prescription:
• Prescription of inappropraite drug results
from failure to recognize indications
imposed by other diseases and
administration of other drugs.

18