Clinician's Pocket Drug Reference 2008

TIPS FOR SAFE PRESCRIPTION WRITING**LEGIBILITY1. Take time to write legibly.2. Print if this would be more legible than handwriting.3. Use a typewriter or computer if necessary. In the near future, physicians willgenerate all prescriptions by computer to eliminate legibility problems.4. Carefully print the order to avoid misreading. There are many “sound alike”drugs and medications that have similar spellings (ie, Celexa and Celebrex).DANGEROUS PRESCRIPTION WRITING PRACTICES1. Never use a trailing zero. Correct: 1 mg; Dangerous: 1.0 mg. If the decimal isnot seen, a 10-fold overdose can occur.2. Never leave a decimal point “naked.” Correct: 0.5 mL; Dangerous: .5 mL. Ifthe decimal point is not seen, a 10-fold overdose can occur.3. Never abbreviate a drug name because the abbreviation may be misunderstoodor have multiple meanings.4. Never abbreviate U for units as it can easily be read as a zero, thus “6 U regularinsulin” can be misread as 60 units. The order should be written as “6 unitsregular insulin.”5. Never use qd (abbreviation for once a day). When poorly written, the tail of the“q” can make it read qid or four times a day.(**From The Clinicians Pocket Reference, 11th ed. Gomella, LG and Haist, SA,eds., McGraw-Hill, 2007, New York. Used with permission)