A prescribed medication order is a formal communication from a prescriber (usually a physician, but also nurse practitioners, dentists, and others) to a pharmacist or other healthcare professional, indicating the drug therapy that a particular patient should receive.
This can be in the form of written prescriptions, verbal orders, or electronic prescriptions.
Interpretation:
The process of interpreting a medication order involves several steps:
Medication Name: The pharmacist must verify the specific medication prescribed. This may require differentiation between brand and generic names.
Dosage Form and Strength: Medications can come in various forms such as tablets, capsules, solutions, and more. The pharmacist must ensure that they dispense the correct form and strength.
Dosage and Frequency: The pharmacist checks the dose of the medication and how often the patient should take it.
Duration of Therapy: This indicates how long the patient should be on the medication.
Special Instructions: Some prescriptions may have additional instructions like "take with food" or "shake well before using".
The pharmacist should also check for any potential drug-drug interactions, allergies, or contraindications for the patient.
Legal Requirements:
The legal requirements for medication orders can vary depending on the jurisdiction.
However, there are some general requirements:
Prescriber Information: The prescriber's full name, address, and often their registration number or DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) number in the U.S., should be on the prescription.
Patient Information: The patient's full name, date of birth, and address are typically required.
Date of Issue: This indicates when the prescription was written.
Signature: A handwritten, electronic, or digital signature of the prescriber is often required.
Controlled Substances: If the medication is a controlled substance, there may be additional requirements. This could include specifying the quantity in both words and figures, no refills allowed, or even special prescription pads in some areas.
Refills: The number of allowed refills should be clearly stated.
Expiration: Prescriptions often have an expiration date, after which they cannot be filled. For many medications, this might be one year from the date of issuance, but this can vary.
Pharmacists also have the responsibility to ensure the legitimacy of a prescription. If there's any doubt regarding its authenticity or appropriateness, the pharmacist should contact the prescriber for clarification.
