Transcript Prescription Writing

Prescribing in Practice
Part 2c
Prescription Writing (2)
Potential areas for error when
writing a prescription
• Name of Prescribed Item – in full without
abbreviations only using approved titles
• Formulation
• Strength (if any)
• Dosage
• Avoid unnecessary use of decimal points e.g. 5mgs
not 5.0mg. If unavoidable a zero in front of the
decimal point e.g. write 0.5ml not .5ml. Acceptable
to use decimal point to express a range e.g. 0.5-1 g
• Frequency
• Quantity or duration of treatment
Grams, milligrams and micrograms
• Quantities of 1 gram or more should be written in grams e.g. write
2g
• Quantities less than 1 gram should be written in milligrams e.g.
write 500mg not 0.5g
• Quantities less than 1 mg should be written in micrograms e.g.
write 100 micrograms and not 0.1 mg
• Micrograms and Nanograms should not be abbreviated, the word
Units should not be abbreviated
• Calculations should be double checked
The Prescriber should re read the prescription once it is written
Hospital Prescribing
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Name of the prescribed item
Formulation
Strength (if any)
Dosage
Frequency
Where a defined length of treatment is required this
should be stated.
• For out-patients and discharge patients the
requirements are the same as for community nurses
Names of Medicines
• Written clearly using approved generic
titles (where available) as specified
throughout the NPF/BNF, and should not
be abbreviated.
• The only exception to this rule is for the
prescribing of some dressings and
appliances, and of compound or
modified release medicines which have
no proprietary name.
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