Adult Medical Emergency Handbook - Scottish Intensive Care Society

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GOLDEN RULES FOR PRESCRIPTION WRITING
1. Select the correct Prescription and Administration Record
There are three versions available in RIE and WGH:
• a standard 14 day record
• a standard 14 day record with a warfarin chart
• a 28 day record
(SJH have 14 day, 28 day and 120 day records - all with separate
warfarin chart)
2. Write clearly in block capitals, using a black ballpoint pen.
Note any allergies or adverse effects of medicines.
Document what happens eg rash, anaphylaxis. Document on
prescription chart and in patients case notes.
1 in 10 patients acutely admitted are admitted because of
Adverse Drug Reactions.
3. Complete all the required patient details on the front of the
Record
• Hospital/ward • patient name*
• consultant • patient number* CHI
• weight • date of birth*
• height *A printed label will suffice for these 3 details
Write the patient name and date of birth on each page of the record
(ie each side). Include any previous adverse drug reactions, if
known.
4. Use approved (generic) names of medicines
Rare exceptions include drugs where a specific brand is necessary
due to variation of response between brands e.g. theophylline,
lithium, diltiazem, nifedipine, and verapamil, and combination
products with no generic name e.g. Rifinah ®.
5. Write the drug dose clearly
• The dose of medicine must be specified. Prescribing a dose
range e.g 10-20mg, is not acceptable.
• The only acceptable abbreviations are
g - gramme mg - milligram ml - millilitre
All other dose units must be written out in full e.g. micrograms
• Avoid decimal points write 100 micrograms (not 0.1 mg). If not
avoidable, write zero in front of the decimal point e.g. 0.5 ml
(not .5 ml).
adult medical emergencies handbook | NHS LOTHIAN: UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DIVISION | 2009/11
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