Medicines should be prescribed only when they are necessary in treatment following a clear diagnosis. Not all patients need a prescription for a medicine; non-drug treatment may be suitable and this has been highlighted in these guidelines.
In all cases the benefit of administering the medicine should be considered in relation to the risk involved. This is particularly important during pregnancy where the risk to both mother and foetus must be considered.
Prescriptions should
• be written legibly in ink or otherwise so as to be indelible
• be written by the prescriber and not left for another person to complete
• be dated
• state the full name and address of the patient
• specify the age and weight of the patient (especially in the case of children)
• be signed in ink by the prescriber and it is helpful to have contact details included (e.g. name & telephone number)
When writing a prescription the following should be noted:
a) Name of drugs and preparations should be written in full. Unofficial abbreviations should not be used because there is a high risk of misinterpretation.
b) Non-proprietary (generic) names are given in the book and they should always be used in prescribing
c) Avoid the unnecessary use of decimal points, e.g. 3 mg, not 3.0 mg.
i. Quantities of 1 gram or more should be written 1 g.
ii. Quantities less than 1 gram should be written in milligrams, e.g. 500 mg, not 0.5 g.
iii. Quantities less than 1mg should be written in micrograms, e.g. 100 microgram, not 0.1 mg.
iv. Where decimals are unavoidable a zero should be written in front of the decimal point where there is no other figure, e.g. 0.5 ml, not 5ml.
d) ‘Micrograms’ and ‘nanograms’ should NOT be abbreviated. Similarly, ‘units’ should NOT be abbreviated.
e) Use the term ‘millilitre’ (ml or mL) NOT cubic centimetre (cc, or cm3).
f) State dose and dose frequency. In the case of ‘as required’, a minimum dose interval should be specified, e.g. ‘every 4-6 hrs as required for pain’.
g) State the quantity to be supplied or indicate the number of days of treatment required.
h) Write directions, preferably in English without abbreviation. It is recognised that some Latin abbreviations are used and these are detailed in the section on abbreviations. Do NOT use other abbreviations
• Avoid combination drugs, unless there is a significant therapeutic advantage over single ingredient preparations (e.g. Co-trimoxazole).
• Avoid the use of symptomatic treatments for minor self-limiting conditions.
• Avoid, where possible, the prescribing of placebos. Spend a little time educating and reassuring the patient.
• Avoid multiple prescribing (polypharmacy), especially when the diagnosis is not clear.
• Avoid the use of the parenteral route of administration except where there are clear, clinical indications for this route. Use the oral route whenever possible.
