Principles of Prescription Order Writing

Is an important therapeutic transaction
between dentist/physician and the patient.

It brings into focus the diagnostic acumen
and therapeutic proficiency of the
dentist/physician with instructions for
palliation or restorations of the patients
health.
Proficiency at writing a prescription order
accurately and speedily requires practice.
The prescription order should be written
legibly.
It is convenient and the accepted form to have
ones name, address, telephone number,
office hours and Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) registry number printed
on the prescription order blank (controlled
substance in schedule II)
CHOICE OF DRUG NAME:
- Most of drugs can be prescribed by their
official names, by their nonproprietary names
or by the manufacturers proprietary name is
often referred to as the generic name

CHOICE OF A SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND
MEASURE:
- Prescription orders should always be written in the
metric system.
- It is necessary only to designate the amount of
drug by numbers and to indicate the metric of
weight or volume desired
METRIC APOTHECARIES
1 milligram 1/65 grain
1 gram 15.43 grains
1 kilogram 2.20 pounds
1 milliliter 16.23 minims
1 ounce 31.1 grams
1 minims 0.062 ml
1 fluid ounce 29.57ml
1 pint

473.2ml

1 quart 946.4 ml
1 teaspoonful 1 dram 5ml
1 tablespoonful 4 drams 15ml
1 wineglass 2 ounces 60ml
1 teacup 4 to 6 ounces 120-180ml
1 glassful 8 ounces 240ml
1 dessert spoonful 2 drams 10 ml
Only one prescription should be written on an
other blank.
MAJOR ELEMENTS:
1. Date
2. Name, address, and Age of the patient
3. The symbol Rx is an abbrevation for recipe, the
Latin for take-out.
4. Drug, strength, and inert additives
5. Direction to the pharmacist
6. Directions to the patient
7. Signature
1. SUPERSCRIPTION Patients name,
address, and age; and the symbol Rx
2. INSCRIPTION Name of drug, dosage form,
and amount
3. SUBSCRIPTION Direction to the
pharmacist
4. TRANSCRIPTION or SIGNATURE
Directions to the patient
1. Heading name, address, and phone number of the
prescriber
- Name, address, age and phone number of the patient
- Date
2. Body
- the symbol Rx
- Name and dosage unit or
concentration(liquids) of the drugs
- Amount to be dispensed
- Directions to the patient
3. Closing
- Prescibers signature
- Space for DEA number
- refill instructions
Joe A. Doe, D.D.S.
1234 Main Street
Phone 123-4567 City, State
________________________________________________________
Patient name_____________ Date:__________
Address:_________________ Age:___________
Rx
Mefenamic acid ( Dolfenal ) 500mg/ tab
# 9

Sig: Take 1 tab 3x a day as needed for pain. Take in full stomach.

Dentist:______________

License Number:__________
PTR:_____________
s2 Number________________

1. Only validly-registered medical, dental and
veterinary practitioners, whether in private or
employed in a private institution/corporation
or in the government, are authorized to
prescribe drugs.
2. All prescriptions must contain the name of
the prescriber, office address, PRC number,
Professional tax receipt number,
patients/clients name, age and sex and date
of prescription
1. Write legibly in ink
2. Use the metric system
3. Avoid abbreviations
4. Keep a copy of each prescription or transcribe the
information to the patients record
5. Include complete information for the patient.
a. never use take as directed unless a written
instruction sheet is provided.
b. include the intended purpose, for example for relief
of pain
c. Use precautions to remind the patient of a drugs side
effects, for example, caution: Sedation or caution: may
cause drowsiness
d. add reminder phrases to increase the patients
compliance
Example: To complete for 7 days.
VIOLATIVE PRESCRIPTION:
- Where generic name is not written
- Where the generic name is not eligible and a
brand name which is legible is written
- Where the brand name is indicated and
instructions added (such as no substitution)
which tend to prevent proper dispensing.
ERRONEOUS PRESCRIPTION:
1. Where the brand name precedes the generic
name
2. Where the generic name is the one in
parenthesis
3. Where more than one drug product is
prescribed on one prescription form
Schedule Abuse potential Examples Handling
I Highest Heroin, LSD, marijuana,
hallucinogens
Experimental or research
use only
II High Morphine, meperidine,
oxycodone, hydromorphone,
amphetamine,
ssecobarbital,amobarbital
Prescribers signature
required; no refills
III Moderate Codeine mixtures (Tylenol) Prescriptions may be
telephoned; no more
than 5 refills in less than
6 months
IV Less Benzodiazepines (Diazepam)
V least Some codeine-containing
cough syrups
Can be bought over the
counter in some states
ABBREVIATION LATIN DERIVIATION ENGLISH MEANING
a.c. Ante cibum Before meals
ad ad To; up to
ad lib ad libitum As much as desired; without limit
b.i.d. bis in die Twice a day
caps capsula Capsules
gtt gutta A Drop
o.d Omni die Daily, once a day
h.s Hora somni At bed time, hour of sleep
p.c. Post cibum After meals
p.r.n Pro re nata When required, as required
q.h Quaque hora Every hour
q.d Quaque die Every day, daily
q.i.d/ t.i.d Quator in die/ ter in die Four times a day/ 3 times a day
stat statim At once, immediately

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Is an important therapeutic transaction

between dentist/physician and the patient.

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