I'll tell you why. It's because this prescriber changed his mind about the number of refills, but instead of taking the time (what, maybe 30 seconds?) and spending a whole 25¢ for a new prescription blank this guy scribbled out the mistake and changed it.
PRESCRIBERS... a controlled substance prescription is a LEGAL DOCUMENT. Don't do this. Like it or not, when you do this in front of a patient you give them the idea to try it later on another prescription using your handwriting. I know you're busy saving mankind one Z-pack at a time, but please, PLEASE, for the love of all that's holy spend the damn quarter and take an extra 30 seconds to write a new prescription.
PLEASE.
this would be outright refused at my pharmacy. even if we called the MD it would be to tell them they need to rewrite it for the patient or send it by eScribe
ReplyDeleteThe sig bothers me more. What is written is: Take one tablet by mouth EVERY bedtime AS NEEDED for insomnia. So which is it? "Q" seems to have morphed from meaning "every" to "at" in the 37 years since I graduated from pharmacy school. Just wait until this backwoods office gets electronic medical records and he starts shooting off electronic prescriptions containing all sorts of dumb $h!t. Retirement can't come soon enough.
ReplyDeleteThat Sig is exactly how 99% of doctors I know would write an as needed sleeping pill.
ReplyDeleteLanguage changes over time. I think you're being a little pedantic Anon 5:38.
I do agree that it's a little confusing to both prescribe it prn but also prescribe a quantity designed to be taken daily. But I think that's more a conflict being wishful thinking and reality.