PRESCRIPTION-
HANDLING
Prescription:
•A prescription is a written order from a physician or other registered
healthcare professional to a pharmacist, authorizing them to dispense a
specific prescription drug for a specific patient.
Parts of prescription:
Prescription contains following information:
• Patient’s information
• Date
• Superscription
• Inscription
• Subscription
• Transcription
• Prescriber’s signature and address of prescriber
• Patient’s information :
It incudes patient’s name, address, age, and weight. This identifies the patient who
is to receive the medicine. The age and weight of the patient would be helpful to
check the dose of medicine accordingly.
• Date :
Every prescription must bear date on which the prescription medicines are
prescribed. This helps the pharmacist to keep day to day patient record.
• Superscription:
This is the sign Rx, which is derived from R, an abbreviation from Latin word recipe, meaning
‘take thou’. In old days this symbol was considered to be originated from the sign of Jupiter, God
of healing.
• Inscription:
This section is the principle body of prescription.
It includes
• Name of medicines
• Dose
• Dosage form
The medicaments can be prescribed as official preparation or special formulation. In case of
special formulation, the details of each ingredients will be stated together with description of
type of preparation e.g. mixture, tablet.
• Subscription:
This part of prescription contains prescriber’s directions to pharmacist regarding preparation of prescription
and the number of doses to be dispensed.
• Transcription / signatura:
It is usually abbreviated as ‘sig’ on the prescription. It includes instructions for the patient
• Method of administration or application
• Number of dosage units per dose ( take one tablet, two spoonful)
• The time and frequency of administration
• The diluent
• Duration of dosing (for seven days)
• Special instructions and warning
• Prescriber’s signature and address of prescriber:
The prescription must contain prescriber’s name, signature, address and registration
number. It makes the prescription a legal and authentic document.
• Renewal instructions or refill information:
This section indicates either no fill or number of refill. It is important in case of
chronic disease. It also helps to prevent misuse of controlled drugs.
Handling of prescription:
• Receiving
• Reading and checking
• Preparing the prescription
• Labelling and packing
• Dispensing
• Recording
• Pricing
• Receiving:
The pharmacist should himself receive the prescription.
• Reading and checking the prescription:
Prescription should be read completely and carefully from top to bottom. In case of illegible
writing , the pharmacist should contact the physician and confirm.
Check for drug name, strength
(sound a like drugs azithromycin and erythromycin , Zantac and Zyrtec)
Pharmacist should not change his facial expression and no opinion or comment should be
given.
Check the prescription
• Dosage calculation
• Interaction
• Incompatibilities
• Allergies
• ADR’s
• Patient’s information
• Clinical and legal checking
• Completeness
• Availability of drugs in pharmacy
• Cost effective
• Safe and effective
• Dosage calculation:
• Fried’s rule :
• Young’s rule :
•Compounding:
After reading and checking the prescription , the pharmacist should collect all the required
material from shelves to a single location. Weigh all the ingredients using weighing balance. As
each ingredient weighed transfer it to other location. This technique provides the pharmacist the
opportunity to read label three time
• When collected from shelves
• When material measured
• When container placed back
• Compounding should be done on clean table. Compounding should be done according to the
directions of physician or official standards.
• Labeling and packing:
The compounded medicament should be filled in suitable container with appropriate
label depending upon the quantity and use. For packing oval bottles, colored
containers, paper wraps, dropper bottles are used according to the preparation.
• Dispensing:
While delivering the prescription to the patient, the pharmacist should explain the
mode of administration, direction for use and storage.
• Recording:
The number of prescription should be recorded in file to maintain record of
prescriptions.
Pricing:
• The prescription should be priced immediately after receiving it and informed the
patient about it. This should be done before starting the assembly of medicines, or
compounding to avoid any dispute.
• Price can be calculated as
Percentage markup:
• Cost Of Ingredients + (Cost Of Ingredients Percentage Markup) = Dispensing
Price
Summation:
• Sum of All Cost + Profit = Dispensing Price
