How to write a prescription correctly
In this article, we will describe how to write a prescription correctly.
The following are minimum requirements for a legal prescription:
- Write legibly in indelible ink
- Write drug name in CAPITALS
- State the date
- State name and address, and hospital or NHS number of the patient – you need at least two identifiers (apart from the name)
- State the dose, frequency, and duration of the medication
- Prescriber should sign in ink with a legible signature – if not legible, write your name in CAPITALS
- State an indication of the type of prescriber (e.g. consultant, SHO etc), and how they can be contacted.
- Quantities of 1 gram or more should be written as 1 g, 1.5 g etc. Quantities less than 1 gram should be written in milligrams, e.g. 500 mg, not 0.5 g. Quantities less than 1 mg should be written in micrograms, e.g. 100 micrograms, not 0.1 mg.
- ‘Micrograms’ and ‘nanograms’ should not be abbreviated. Similarly ‘units’ should not be abbreviated to ‘u’.
- The names of drugs and preparations should be written clearly and not abbreviated, using generic names.
Sample of a good prescription
Summary
We have described how to write a prescription correctly. We hope it has been useful.
Other resource
BNF guidance on prescription writing
Last Reviewed on 20 April 2024