PROCESSING THE PRESCRIPTION ORDER

MAGISTRAL PHARMACY (Dispensing Pharmacy)

Most important division of the pharmaceutical practice
It deals with preparation and dispensing of medicines intended to be compounded
extemporaneously or as the occasion or physicians needs may require.
MAGISTRAL PHARMACY (Dispensing Pharmacy)
The ability to practice extemporaneous compounding successfully depends largely
upon the personal qualities of the pharmacist.
It calls for the exercise of more tact, knowledge and ability than any other activity
in pharmacy.

THE PROCESSING OF Rx ORDER

1. Receiving
2. Reading
3. Checking
4. Numbering
5. Dating
6. Labeling
7. Preparing
8. Packaging
9. Delivering
10. Pricing
11. Filing the Prescription

1. RECEIVING THE PRESCRIPTION

Enhance the pharmacist patient relationship

PHARMACIST should:
Estimate length of time required to fill the Rx
To price the Rx if requested by the patient.
2. READING AND CHECKING THE Rx
Read the Rx in the privacy of the prescription department
There should be no doubt as to the ingredient or quantities prescribed.
If something is illegible or if it appears that an error has been made. Pharmacist
should consult another pharmacist or the prescriber.
Should verify omission or failure to specify desired strength of medication

The size and frequency of dose be carefully noted and checked:

1. age
2. weight and condition of patient
3. possible influence of other drugs being taken
4. Frequency of administration
3. NUMBERING AND DATING THE Rx
It is a universal practice to number the Rx order and to place the same number on
the label.
To connect the bottle or package with the original medication order.
4. LABELING THE Rx
Prescription label prepared by pharmacist, an assistant may be employed for
this purpose.
Rx labels should be computerized or typewritten to make them neat, attractive
and legible
A prescription should have an aesthetic and professional appearing label.

The size of the label should be in conformance with the size of the prescription
container.
Name, address and telephone number of the pharmacy are generally imprinted in
the label.
The pharmacist should give clear directions
Label of Compounded Rx should include:
Number of Rx
Date of filling
Name of Patient
Quality and quantity of ingredients
Label of Compounded Rx should include:
5. Directions for administration
6. Name of Physician

Label of Unit Dose Rx should include:

Name of Patient
Generic name of drug
Brand Name
Manufacturer

Label of Unit Dose Rx should include:

5. Dosage strength

6. Expiry date
7. Directions for use
8. Name of Pharmacist

AUXILLARY LABELS emphasize a number of important aspects of the dispensing

medication including:
1. proper use
2. handling
3. storage

AUXILLARY LABELS
4. Refill status
5. Necessary warnings and precautions
Example: Shake well
POISON
Should Not Be Swallowed
Keep Out of Reach of Children
5. PREPARING THE Rx
Information Necessary:
Adjuvant used
Order of mixing
Amount of each ingredients

Capsule size
Information Needed:
5. Type and size of container
Name and product identification number of manufacturer.
Partially filled Rx should be returned to the buyer after recording the partial filling
in the Rx book
Partial filling of prohibited or List A drugs shall not be allowed.
6. PACKAGING
Pharmacist should consider the size, shape, mouth opening, color and
composition in packaging

TYPES OF CONTAINERS GENERALLY USED:

Round Vials for solid dosage forms

as capsules and tablets.

Prescription Bottles for dispensing liquids of low viscosity

Pharmacist should CHECK for:

1. Permeability of containers to atmospheric gases and to moisture vapor.
2. Leaching of constituents of the container to internal content

Pharmacist should CHECK for:

3. Absorption of drugs from content container
4. Transmission of light through the container
5. Alteration of the container on storage, particularly at extremes in temperature.

Child-Resistant Containers
To prevent accidental poisoning resulted from ingestion of medication and other
household chemicals by children.
With safety closures
7. RECHECKING
The importance of this step should not be overemphasized
Every Rx should be rechecked by the Pharmacist
All details of the label should be rechecked against the Rx order to verify
directions, patients name, Rx number, date and prescribers name
8. DELIVERING THE PRESCRIPTION
Every prescription leaving the store should not only be correctly and skillfully
compounded but the physical appearance of the finished preparation should
indicate the pride and care which the pharmacist has taken in his professional
work.
9. RECORDING
A record of the prescriptions dispensed should be maintained in addition to the
prescription files.
This would permit rapid location of prescription orders.

Different RECORDS used:

1. Prescription Book
2. Poison Book
3. Dangerous Drug Record Book
10. PRICING
MOST COMMONLY USED:
% Mark-up

Dispensing Price =
Cost of Ingr. + (Cost of Ingr. X % Mark-up)

2. % Mark-up + Minimum Fee

DP = Cost of Ingr. + (Cost of Ingr. X % mark-up) + Minimum Fee
*DP = dispensing price
Minimum Fee - recover the combined cost of container, label, overhead &
professional service

3. Professional Fee
DP = Cost of Ingr. + Professional Fee
The greater the cost of the Rx ingredients the greater is the fee
Professional fee - represents the payment for professional service

Code in Pricing letters selected should have 10 letters with no

duplicate letters.
Example:

C
5

K
6

11. FILING
Too be kept for 2 years
Prescription File Types:
1. metal or cardboard unit
2. partitioned drawers

Methods of Preserving Prescriptions:

1. Filing on string or wire
2. Pasting on scrap book (old method)
3. Writing a copy in a blank book and returning the original

Methods of Preserving Prescriptions:

4. Wrapping the Rx in packages of 100 and packing ten consecutive
hundreds in wooden box (old method)
5. Pasting the Rx to a card which is then filed in a cabinet

Computer filing of prescription is most recommended.

Exercises:
Rx
Salbutamol tablet.2mg
Theophylline tablet ..125mg
Lactose q.s. .300mg
In one cap # 20
Sig. One cap b.i.d. p.c. and H.S.

Data
Nuelin tablet .. P 3.75
Ventolin tablet .. P 4.50
Lactose . P 40.00 / half Kg
Capsule . P 0.75/piece
Minimum fee P30.00
% mark up 15 % and Professional Fee P 50.00

QUESTIONS:
What is the dispensing price using the % mark up plus minimum fee method?
Cost of the above Rx per capsule
What is the dispensing price using professional fee method?
What is the daily dose of Salbutamol?