PRESCRIPTION

Long Essay
1. Define Prescription. Explain the parts of prescription with examples.
Short Essay
2. Discuss the handling of prescription.
Short answer
3. Draw a neat labelled diagram of a prescription.
4. What is subscription
5. What is inscription

PRESCRIPTION

A prescription is a written order from Registered Medical Practitioner or a Physician to a

PARTS OF PRESCRIPTION
Date
Date must be written on the prescription by the prescriber at the same time when it is written.
The date on the prescription helps a pharmacist to find out the cases where prescription is
brought for dispensing long time after its issue. Prescriptions containing narcotic or other
habit-forming drugs must bear the date.
Name, Age, Sex and Address of the Patient
 Name, age, sex and address of the patient must be written on the prescription.
 This avoids the possibility of giving the finished product to a person other than the
one it is meant for.
  If it is not written then, the pharmacist himself should ask the patient about these
particulars and put down at the top of the prescription. Patient's full name must be
written instead of surname or the family name.
 Age and sex of the patient especially in the case of children helps the pharmacist in
checking the medication and the dose.
 The address of the patient is recorded to help for any reference at a later stage, to
contact the patient or to deliver the medication personally.
Superscription
 The superscription is represented by a symbol, Rx, which is always written at the
beginning of the prescription.
 The symbol was considered as a prayer to Jupiter, the God of healing, for quick
recovery of the patient but now this symbol is understood as an abbreviation of the
Latin word recipe, meaning "take thou" or "you take".
Inscription
 This is the main part of the prescription.
 It contains the names and quantities of the prescribed ingredients.
 The names of the ingredients are written each on a separate line, followed by the
quantity ordered and the last item written is generally the vehicle or diluent.
 The inscription is divided into three parts:
i) The base or the active medicament which is intended to produce the therapeutic
effect;
ii) The adjuvant which is included either to enhance the action of the medicament or
to make the product more palatable;
iii) The vehicle which is either used to dissolve the solid substances and/or to increase
the volume of the preparation for ease of administration.
Subscription
 This part of the prescription contains prescriber's directions to the pharmacist
regarding the dosage form to be prepared and number of doses to be dispensed.
Signatura/Signa
 It is usually abbreviated as "Sig" on the prescriptions and consists of the directions to
be given to the patient regarding the administration of the drug.
 It usually indicates :
o quantity of medicament or number or dosage units to be taken,
o Frequency of administration or application (how many times in a day/ at what
time it should be taken)
o Mode of administration ( the manner in which it is to be administered or
applied.
o The special instruction such as dilution direction
Signature, Address and Registration Number of the Prescriber
 All other parts of the prescription may be printed or type-written but the prescriber's
name must be hand-written and should be signed with ink.
  This eliminates the danger of dispensing medicament on a spurious order and it
authenticates the prescription.
 The prescriptions containing narcotic or other habit-forming drugs must bear the
address and registration number of the prescriber. This identifies the special license
which a prescriber must have to prescribe the narcotic and other habit-forming drugs.
Renewal Instruction
 The prescriber indicates on every prescription order, whether it may ne renewed and if
so how many times.
 It is important in case of narcotic and habit forming drugs -to prevent misuse.

HANDLING OF PRESCRIPTION
The following steps are to be followed during handling of a prescription for compounding
and dispensing:
 Receiving
 Reading and checking
 Collecting and weighing the material
 Compounding, labeling and packing
Receiving:
 The prescription should be received by the pharmacist himself. While receiving, he
shouldn't change any facial expressions
 Because it may cause a impression on the patient that he is surprised or confused
after seeing the prescription.
Reading and Checking:
 On receiving the prescription the pharmacist should check the prescription whether it
is written in a proper format.
 The prescription should always be screened behind the counter.
 Any doubts in case of prescription ingredients or drugs and directions he should
discuss with another senior pharmacist or physician but not with the patient.
 The prescription should be checked for
o Error in dosage
o Wrong drug or dosage form
o Contra indicated drugs
o Synergistic and Antagonistic drugs
o Drug interactions
 If any omission of any particulars in the prescription(dose, dosage form), pharmacist
should contact the prescriber.
Collecting and weighing the material:
  Before compounding the prescription, all the materials required for it are collected on
the left side of the balance.
 After weighing each material should be shifted on to the right side of the balance.
 Note: while compounding label of the stock bottle should be read at least three times
to avoid any error:
o When taken from the shelf
o When the contents are removed for weighing/measuring
o When containers are returned back to its proper place
Compounding, labelling and packing:
 Compounding should be carried out in a neat place.
 All the equipment required are cleaned and dried thoroughly.
 Only one prescription should be compounded at a time.
 The compounded materials should be filled in a suitable clean container based on
quantity and use.
 The size of the label should be proportional to the size of the container.
 Label should contain the required suggestions/directions to the patient.
 The label should be fixed with a good adhesive, almost in the centre leaving equal
space from the bottom and top of the container.
 While dispensing the prescription the pharmacist should explain the mode of
administration, direction for use and storage.

SOURCES OF ERRORS IN PRESCRIPTION

Following are the sources of errors which arise in prescription:

1) Abbreviation: Abbreviation presents a problem in understanding parts of the prescription

2) Name of the Drug: There are certain drugs whose name look or sound like those of other
drugs. Some of the examples of such drugs are as under:

Examples of Drugs often Confused

Name of the pharmaceutical products have been changed on certain occasion due to the
possible confusion with the name of the other products, e.g., the name of potassium
supplement was changed from Kalyum to Kolyum because of the possible confusion of the
former designation with valium.
3) Strength of the Preparation: The strength of the preparation should be stated by the
prescriber. For example, it will be a wrong decision on the part of a pharmacist to dispense
paracetamol tablet 500 mg when prescription for paracetamol tablet is received with no
specific strength.

4) Dosage Form of the Drug Prescribed: Many medicines are available in more than one
dosage form. For example, liquid, tablet, capsule and suppository. The pharmaceutical form
of the product should be written on the prescription in order to avoid ambiguity.

5) Dose: Unusually high or low doses should be discussed with the prescriber. For example, a
prescription for sustained release formulation to be administered after every four hours
should be thoroughly checked because such dosage forms are usually administered only two
or three times a day.

6) Instructions for the Patient: The quantity of the drug to be taken, the frequency and
timing of administration, and route of administration should be clearly given in the
prescription so as to avoid any confusion.

7) Incompatibilities: It is essential to check that there are no pharmaceutical or therapeutic