Abbreviations, prescription: A prescription, as is well known, is
a physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug
or device for a patient. What may be less well known is that a
prescription has several parts:
The superscription (or heading) with the symbol R or Rx which
stands for the word Recipe, meaning (in Latin) to take;
The inscription which contains the names and quantities of the
ingredients;
The subscription or directions for compounding the drug; and
The signature which is often preceded by the sign s. standing for
signa, mark, giving the directions to be marked on the
container.
You may see some chicken scrawl marks on a prescription. For
example, b.i.d. It means twice (two times) a day and is an
abbreviation for "bis in die" which in Latin means, not too surprisingly, twice a day. It is one of a number of hallowed abbreviations of Latin terms that have been traditionally used in prescriptions to specify the frequency with which medicines should be taken.
Some of the abbreviations of terms commonly used in
prescriptions with their meanings are:
a.c. = before meals (from "ante cibum," before meals)
ad lib: use as much as one desires (from "ad libitum")
b.i.d. = twice a day
caps = capsules
da or daw = dispense as written
g (or gm or GM) = gram
gtt. = drops (from "guttae," drops)
h. = hour
mg = milligram
ml = milliliter
p.c. = after meals (from "post cibum," after meals)
p.o. = by mouth, orally (from "per os," by mouth)
p.r.n. = when necessary (from "pro re nata," for an occasion that
has arisen, as circumstances require, as needed)
q.d. = once a day (from "quaque die," once a day)
q.i.d. = four times a day (from "quater in die," 4 times a day)
q._h.: If a medicine is to be taken every so-many hours (from
"quaque," every and the "h" indicating
the number of hours)
q.h. = every hour
q.2h. = every 2 hours
q.3h. = every 3 hours
q.4h. = every 4 hours
t.i.d. = three times a day (from "ter in die," 3 times a day)
ut dict. = as directed (from "ut dictum," as directed)
The word "prescription" also comes from the Latin "praescriptus"
and is made up of "prae," before + "scribere," to write, so
that prescription meant "to write before." This reflected the historic
fact that a prescription had traditionally to be written
before a drug could be prepared and then administered to a
patient.
See also "Drug caution codes."
a physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug
or device for a patient. What may be less well known is that a
prescription has several parts:
The superscription (or heading) with the symbol R or Rx which
stands for the word Recipe, meaning (in Latin) to take;
The inscription which contains the names and quantities of the
ingredients;
The subscription or directions for compounding the drug; and
The signature which is often preceded by the sign s. standing for
signa, mark, giving the directions to be marked on the
container.
You may see some chicken scrawl marks on a prescription. For
example, b.i.d. It means twice (two times) a day and is an
abbreviation for "bis in die" which in Latin means, not too surprisingly, twice a day. It is one of a number of hallowed abbreviations of Latin terms that have been traditionally used in prescriptions to specify the frequency with which medicines should be taken.
Some of the abbreviations of terms commonly used in
prescriptions with their meanings are:
a.c. = before meals (from "ante cibum," before meals)
ad lib: use as much as one desires (from "ad libitum")
b.i.d. = twice a day
caps = capsules
da or daw = dispense as written
g (or gm or GM) = gram
gtt. = drops (from "guttae," drops)
h. = hour
mg = milligram
ml = milliliter
p.c. = after meals (from "post cibum," after meals)
p.o. = by mouth, orally (from "per os," by mouth)
p.r.n. = when necessary (from "pro re nata," for an occasion that
has arisen, as circumstances require, as needed)
q.d. = once a day (from "quaque die," once a day)
q.i.d. = four times a day (from "quater in die," 4 times a day)
q._h.: If a medicine is to be taken every so-many hours (from
"quaque," every and the "h" indicating
the number of hours)
q.h. = every hour
q.2h. = every 2 hours
q.3h. = every 3 hours
q.4h. = every 4 hours
t.i.d. = three times a day (from "ter in die," 3 times a day)
ut dict. = as directed (from "ut dictum," as directed)
The word "prescription" also comes from the Latin "praescriptus"
and is made up of "prae," before + "scribere," to write, so
that prescription meant "to write before." This reflected the historic
fact that a prescription had traditionally to be written
before a drug could be prepared and then administered to a
patient.
See also "Drug caution codes."
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