More Related Content
Similar to SOURCES OF ERROR IN PRESCRIPTION (20)
SOURCES OF ERROR IN PRESCRIPTION
- 1. PHARMACEUTICS-II SOURCES OF ERROR IN PRESCRIPTION M.NITHYA, B.PHARM, LECTURER, JKKMIHSCP. Page 1 SOURCES OF ERROR IN PRESCRIPTION 1. Abbreviation 2. Name of the drug 3. Strength of the preparation 4. Dosage form of the drug prescribed 5. Dose 6. Instructions for the patient 7. Incompatibilities 1. ABBREVIATION Abbreviation presents a problem in understanding parts of prescription order. Extreme care should be taken by a pharmacist in interpreting the abbreviation. Pharmacist should not guess at the meaning of an ambiguous abbreviation. E.g: Dispense Achromycin for “Achro” may cause difficulty when a intention of the prescriber is to dispense Achrostatin. 2. NAME OF THE DRUG There are certain drugs whose name look or sound like those of other drugs. E.g: Digitoxin Digoxin Prednisone Prednisolone
- 2. PHARMACEUTICS-II SOURCES OF ERROR IN PRESCRIPTION M.NITHYA, B.PHARM, LECTURER, JKKMIHSCP. Page 2 3. STRENGTH OF THE PREPARATION The strength of preparation should be stated by prescriber. It is essential when various strengths of a product are available in the market. E.g: It will be a wrong decision on the part of 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. E.g: 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. Paediatric dosage may present a problem. So pharmacist should consult paediatric posology to avoid any error. Sometimes a reasonable dose is administered too frequently. E.g: A prescription for sustained release formulation to be administered after every 4 hours should thoroughly check because such dosage forms are usually administered only two or three times a day.
- 3. PHARMACEUTICS-II SOURCES OF ERROR IN PRESCRIPTION M.NITHYA, B.PHARM, LECTURER, JKKMIHSCP. Page 3 6. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PATIENT The instructions for the patient which are given in the prescription are incomplete or omitted. The quantity of the drug to be taken, the frequently and timing of administration and route of administration should clearly give in the prescription so as to avoid confusion. 7. INCOMPATIBILITIES It is essential to check that there are no pharmaceutical or therapeutic incompatibilities in a prescribed preparation and that different medicines prescribed for the same patient do not interact with each other to produce any harm to the patient. Certain antibiotics should not be given with meals since it significantly decrease the absorption of the drug. REFERENCE: Pharmaceutics-II by R.M.Metha