The Medical Prescription

Objective:
Know the components of a complete
drug order or prescription &
understand the importance of each
one.

Prescription
is an order for medication issued by a
physician, dentist, or other properly
licensed medical practitioner.
May be a written prescription
presented at the pharmacy or it may be
transmitted from the prescriber by
telephone or by other electronic means.

Rx symbol
meaning recipe, take thou,
or you take

(1) Prescriber information

and signature
(2) Patient information
(3) Date prescription was
written
(4) symbol (the
Superscription), meaning
take thou, you take,
or recipe
(5) Medication prescribed
(the Inscription)
(6) Dispensing
instructions to the
pharmacist (the
Subscription)
(7) Directions to the
patient (the Signa)
(8) Special instructions.

Main Parts of a Written Prescription

1. Superscription
Consists of the heading where the symbol Rx is found.

2. Inscription
Also called the body of the prescription
Provides the names and quantities of the chief
ingredients of the prescription.
Also included are information like the dose, dosage
form

3. Subscription
Gives specific directions for the pharmacist on how to
compound the medication.
Directions are usually expressed in contracted Latin

Main Parts of a Written Prescription

4. Signatura
Also called transcription
Gives instructions to the patient on how, how
much, when, and how long the drug is to be
taken.
Instructions are preceded by the symbol S or
Sig.

5. Special instructions
Information regarding refilling, warnings

6. Signature of the physician

Including PRC number, S2 license, etc.

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.

Tamper-Resistant Prescription Pads

Invented to prevent the unauthorized

copying, modification, or counterfeiting of
prescriptions.
use of security paper, erase-resistant paper,
thermochromatic ink (which results in the
appearance of the word VOID on
photocopies),
and/or imbedded holograms.

e-prescribing/e-prescriptions

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

Examples of
Prescriptions

Woman, 22 years. New

patient. Migraine with
increasingly frequent
vomiting. Paracetamol no
longer effective during
attacks. You explain to her
that the paracetamol does
not work because she
vomits the drug before it is
absorbed. You prescribe
paracetamol plus an antiemetic suppository,
metoclopramide, which she
should take first, and wait
20-30 minutes before
taking the paracetamol.

References:
Pharmaceutical Calculations 13th
Edition by Howard C. Ansel.
2010.
Essential Medicines and Health
Products Information PortalA
World Health Organization
resource available at
http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/
d/Jwhozip23e/5.4.html#Jwhozip23e.5
.4

Selected Latin Terms (Signa) and

Medical Abbreviations
Abbreviation
(Latin Origin)

Meaning

Abbreviation
(Latin Origin)

Meaning

a.c. (ante cibos) Before meals

Ad lib (ad
libitum)

At pleasure,
freely

aq. (aqua)

A.M. (ante
meridiem)

Morning

b.i.d. (bis in die) Twice a day

with

Et

And

h. Or hr. (hora)

Hour

h.s. (hora
somni)

At bedtime

i.c. (inter cibos)

Between meals

min. (minitum)

Minute

noct. (nocte)

Night

p.c. (post cibos)

After meals

P.M. (post
meridiem)

Afternoon;
Evening

p. o. (per os)

By mouth
(orally)

p.r.n. (pro re
nata)

As needed

Stat (statim)

immediately

Water

q.i.d. (quarter in Four times a

Selected Latin Terms and Medical

Abbreviations
Acronyms

Meaning

Acronyms

Meaning

BM

Bowel
movement

BP

Blood pressure

BS

Blood sugar

CHD

Coronary Heart
Disease

CHF

Congestive
Heart Failure

GERD

Gastrointestinal
Reflux Disease

GFR

Glomerular
Filtration Rate

HRT

Hormone
Replacement
Therapy

HT or HTN

Hypertension

IOP

Intraocular
Pressure

Myocardial
Ischemia/Infacti
on

OA

Osteoarthritis

Patient

SOB

Shortness of
Breath

MI

Pt

Selected Latin Terms and Medical

Abbreviations
Acronyms

Meaning

Acronyms

Meaning

UTI

Urinary Tract
Infection

amp.

Ampule

Cap.

Capsule

D5LR

dextrose 5% in
lactated
Ringers

CIVI

Continuous (24
hour)
intravenous
infusion

ID

Intradermal

IM

Intramuscular

IT

Intrathecal

IV

Intravenous

IVB

Intravenous
bolus

IV Drip

Intravenous
infusion

IVPB

Intravenous
piggy back

NGT

Nasogastric
tube

SL

Sublingual