The following points are included as guidance for writing inpatient prescription charts. They are intended to reduce the incidence of common medication errors which can arise as a result of misinterpretation of unclear prescriptions. More detailed information is provided in the Trust Medicines Policy.
Write prescriptions legibly, preferably in capital letters.
Use approved names for all drugs except:
- oral theophylline/aminophylline preparations
- calcium channel blockers
Do not make alterations to drug prescriptions. If a change is necessary, rewrite the item in full and cancel the previous prescription.
When a drug prescription is cancelled, use two cancellation lines through the item and sign and date the cancellation. Make sure the cancellation is through the drug prescription itself.
Do not use abbreviations for drug names e.g. write isosorbide mononitrate not ISMN.
Where drug strengths are expressed in nanograms or micrograms write this out in full to avoid confusion e.g. digoxin 250 micrograms not digoxin 250mcg.
Review treatment regularly, writing review dates for all antibiotic prescriptions.
Transfer patients from parenteral therapy to oral therapy as soon as possible. Avoid the use of dual route instructions e.g. IV/IM or oral/IV as dosages may not always be the same by different routes.
X may be used by a doctor in a space if the drug is not to be given. e.g. alternate days.
The Drug Allergies/ Intolerance section should always be completed. If there are no known allergies, the words 'none known' should be entered.
Pharmacists are permitted to alter prescriptions under certain circumstances as outlined in the Amendments to Prescription Charts policy (MMC May 2003) or via Patient Group Directions. PGDs can be found on the Pharmacy Intranet site.