A prescription is a formal instruction issued by an authorized healthcare provider directing the supply and use of a medication or therapy for a patient, specifying the agent, dose, route, and duration of treatment. The study of prescription practice addresses how medicines are selected, ordered, dispensed, and moni…
A prescription is a formal instruction issued by an authorized healthcare provider directing the supply and use of a medication or therapy for a patient, specifying the agent, dose, route, and duration of treatment. The study of prescription practice addresses how medicines are selected, ordered, dispensed, and monitored, and how prescribing quality affects safety, effectiveness, and the rational use of medicines. Research in this area examines prescribing and dispensing practices assessed through standardized indicators, including core prescribing indicators applied in hospital and community pharmacies, and antibiotic prescribing for common infections such as upper respiratory tract infection. Studies also address antimicrobial stewardship and prescriber knowledge and attitudes, the auditing of pharmaceutical transactions, and the consequences of inappropriate use, including hospital episodes related to medication overdose. The concept of prescription is further extended to structured non-pharmacological recommendations, such as dietary advice delivered through a prescription-based model. The significance of prescription practice lies in its central role in therapeutics and in the patient-safety and public-health implications of how medicines are prescribed and used. Rational prescribing improves outcomes, reduces adverse drug events, and helps contain problems such as antimicrobial resistance, while irrational or excessive use carries substantial risk. Understanding prescribing behavior, evaluating it against established standards, and promoting stewardship are essential to ensuring that medicines are used safely, effectively, and appropriately.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 54 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Prescription, linking to each citing work.