University of Sulaimani

College of Pharmacy
1st Stage
Pharmaceutical Orientation

Interpretation of Prescriptions and

Medication Orders
Lecture (3)

Shahen S. Mohammed
BSC Pharmacy
MSc Pharmaceutics
 Prescription
• Prescription is an order for medication issued by a physician, dentist,
or other properly licensed medical practitioner.
• A prescription designates a specific medication and dosage to be
prepared by a pharmacist and administered to a particular patient.
• Drug that requires a prescription is
considered potentially harmful if not used
under the supervision of a licensed
health care practitioner

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 HISTORY
• Prescriptions have been in use since ancient times
Latin adopted as standard language
• “Rx” = prescription
• “Sig.” = directions

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Prescription Formatting

Prescription
Formatting
•1. Heading
•2. Body
•3. Closing
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 Heading
• Date:- Date should be mention when at the time of writing
prescription
• It helps the pharmacist in redespensing a medicine and to guide
patient.

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 Heading
• Personal data of patient:- It includes;
Name
Sex
Age
Address

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Prescription
Formatting
•1. Heading
•2. Body
•3. Closing

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 Body
Superscription:- Rx
• Rx is an abbreviation for the Latin word "recipe," which means "Take,
thou.”

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 Body
Inscription
• It is main part of prescription . It contain the name and quantity of
prescribed ingredients
• It also contain manner in which medicine should be taken

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 Body
Subscription:-
• This part contains the prescriber’s directions to the pharmacist . It
includes
Type dosage form to be prepared
No of doses to be dispensed

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 Closing
• Signature of physician:- Prescription must be signed with Prescriber’s
own hand. Address and Registration No should be written in case of
dangerous drugs

• Refill instructions

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Components of a typical prescription.
Parts labeled are as follows:

(1) Prescriber information and signature

(2) Patient information
(3) Date prescription was written
(4) symbol (the Superscription), meaning ‘‘you take,’’
(5) Medication prescribed (the Inscription)
(6) Dispensing instructions to the pharmacist
(7) Directions to the patient
(8) Special instructions. It is important to
note that for any Medicaid or Medicare prescription and
according to
individual state laws, a handwritten language by the
prescriber, such as ‘‘Brand necessary,’’ may be required
to disallow generic substitution.

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• In hospitals and other institutions, the forms are somewhat different
and are referred to as medication orders
• A prescription or medication order for an infant, child, or an elderly
person may also include the age, weight, and/or body surface area
(BSA) of the patient.

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Typical hospital medication order sheet. 16
Example of a prescription for a pediatric patient
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• There are two broad categories of prescriptions:
(1) those written for a single component or prefabricated product and
not requiring compounding or admixture by the pharmacist.
(2) those written for more than a single component and requiring
compounding.

A prescription may include the chemical or generic name of the

substance or the manufacturer’s brand.

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Example of a prescription Example of a prescription
Written for a generic drug requiring compounding
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e-prescriptions

• The use of electronic means for the generation

and transmission of prescriptions is accepted
throughout the United States. In the inpatient
or outpatient setting, a medication order, for a
patient is entered into an automated data entry
system as a personal computer (PC) or a handheld
device loaded with e-prescribing software and sent
to a pharmacy as an e-prescription.

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• When received, a pharmacist immediately reduces the order to a
hard copy and/or stores it as a computer file.

• Among the advantages cited for e-prescriptions over traditional

paper prescriptions are: reduced errors due to prescription legibility;
concurrent software screens for drug interactions; reduced incidence
of altered or forged prescriptions; efficiency for both prescriber and
pharmacist; and, convenience to the patient, whose prescription
would likely be ready for pick-up upon arrival at the pharmacy.

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• The quantities of ingredients to be used almost always are expressed in
SI metric units of weight and measurement.

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Prescription and Medication Order Accuracy

• It is the responsibility of the pharmacist to ensure that each

prescription and medication order received is correct in its form and
content; is appropriate for the patient being treated; and is
subsequently filled, labeled, dispensed, and administered accurately.

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Each medication should be:
therapeutically appropriate for the patient;
prescribed at the correct dose;
dispensed in the correct strength and dosage form;
correctly labeled with complete instructions for the patient

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 The pharmacist should check for the correct reading and
interpretation of a prescription or medication order like the
following:
• prescriber information, including address and telephone number, and
signature;
• date of the order and its currency to the request for filling;
• patient information, including dose-relevant information, such as the
age and/or weight of the patient if the dose of the drug is so based;
• drug prescribed, including dose, preparation strength, dosage form,
and quantity;
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• clarity of any abbreviations, symbols, and/or units of measure;
• clarity and completeness of directions for use by the patient or
caregiver;
• refill and/or generic substitution authorization;

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Use of Roman Numerals on Prescriptions

• Roman numerals commonly are used in prescription writing to

designate quantities,
• as the: (1) quantity of medication to be dispensed
• and/or (2) quantity of medication to be taken by the patient per dose.

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The eight letters of fixed values used in the Roman
system:

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Rules apply in the use of Roman numerals:
1. A letter repeated once or more, repeats its value (e.g., xx = 20; xxx =
30).
2. One or more letters placed after a letter of greater value increases
the value of the greater letter (e.g., vi = 6; xij = 12; lx = 60).
3. A letter placed before a letter of greater value decreases the value of
the greater letter (e.g., iv = 4; xl = 40).

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Use of Abbreviations and Symbols

• The use of abbreviations is common on prescriptions and medication

orders. Some are derived from the Latin through its historical use in
medicine and pharmacy, whereas others have evolved through
prescribers’ use of writing shortcuts.

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Examples of prescription directions to the pharmacist:

(a) M. ft. ung.

Mix and make an ointment.

(b) Ft. sup. no xii

Make 12 suppositories.

(c) M. ft. cap. d.t.d. no. xxiv

Mix and make capsules. Give 24 such doses.

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Examples of prescription directions to the patient:

(a) Caps. i. q.i.d. p.c. et h.s.

Take one (1) capsule four (4) times a day after each meal and at bedtime.

(b) gtt. ii rt.eye every a.m.

Instill two (2) drops in the right eye every morning.

(c) tab. ii stat tab. 1 q. 6 h. 7 d.

Take two (2) tablets immediately, then take one (1) tablet every 6 hours for 7
days.

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Medication Scheduling and Patient Compliance

• Medication scheduling may be defined as the frequency (i.e., times

per day) and duration (i.e., length of treatment) of a drug’s
prescribed or recommended use.

• Patient compliance is defined as patient understanding and

adherence to the directions for use. The compliant patient follows
the label directions for taking the medication properly and adheres to
any special instructions provided by the prescriber and/or
pharmacist.

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• Patient noncompliance is the failure to comply with a practitioner’s
or labeled direction in the self-administration of any medication.
Noncompliance may involve under dosage or over dosage,
inconsistent or sporadic dosing, incorrect duration of treatment.

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Problems relating to patient compliance with medication

A.
R Hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg
No. XC
Sig. i q AM for HBP
If the prescription was filled initially on April 15, on about what date
should the patient return to have the prescription refilled?

• Answer: 90 tablets, taken 1 per day, should last 90 days, or

approximately 3 months, and the patient should return to the
pharmacy on or shortly before July 15 of the same year.
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B.
R Penicillin V Potassium Oral Solution 125 mg/5 mL
Disp.————mL
Sig. 5 mL q 6h × 10 d
• How many milliliters of medicine should be dispensed?
Answer: 5 mL times 4 (doses per day) equals 20 mL times 10 (days)
equals 200 mL.

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•

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