Prescription Processing and Product Dispensing
The prescription as a legal and clinical document
A prescription must identify the patient, drug name, strength and dosage form, directions, quantity, date, prescriber, and refills, with the prescriber's signature where required. Provincial law and college standards set retention, labelling, and transfer rules; federal law governs controlled substances. Verify legibility and completeness before data entry; a missing date, signature, or ambiguous abbreviation is a stop sign, not a guess.
Processing and dispensing accuracy
Enter the order exactly, use only approved abbreviations, and clarify 'as directed' with specifics where possible. Check for look-alike and sound-alike names and for high-alert drugs. Labelling must include patient name, drug, strength, quantity, directions, pharmacy, prescriber, date, DIN, and refill information, plus auxiliary labels. Use two patient identifiers at pickup. Never return a dispensed drug to stock.
Days supply
Days supply = total quantity divided by amount used per day. Example: 90 tablets, 1 tablet three times daily = 3 per day, so 30 days. For liquids: 240 mL at 5 mL four times daily = 20 mL per day, so 12 days. Days supply drives billing and refill eligibility; an error is both a financial and a safety problem.
Traps
- Guessing at illegible directions or dangerous abbreviations such as U, q.d., or q.o.d.
- Mixing up quantity and days supply.
- Dispensing without confirming patient identity.
- Missing prescriber authorization on a verbal order; always read back and document.
- Forgetting controlled-drug refill, transfer, and record requirements.
Rule of thumb: if any required element is missing or unclear, clarify with the prescriber and document the clarification before dispensing.