Being a healthcare professional involves several responsibilities. You should not only have knowledge about diseases and conditions but also about other aspects such as the legal field. Neglecting this facet can have serious consequences such as receiving scolding or fines. To prevent this from happening to you, you must act according to what the authorities indicate. Therefore, below we share the mandatory elements that a medical prescription must have. There are no exceptions and each one that you create for your patients should be as follows.
Legal foundations
In the first instance, the faculty with respect to this basic instrument for doctors is found in the regulation of health products (Arts. 28-31). This section lists all the mandatory elements that it must contain.
While any anomaly is analyzed by the National Commission of Medical Arbitration (Conamed). Even if you observe that one of your colleagues does not fill out the correct form or does not meet the basic requirements, you can file a complaint.
The small document should be prepared from the questionnaire made to the patient and with the observations you make during the consultation. To avoid errors in interpretation, you must use a clear letter if you make it by hand. Whereas if you use a computer or it is digital, you should avoid abbreviations so that it is understandable to people outside the medical field. Remember that you know very well about technicalities but patients do not.
Who can write a prescription?
However, it is believed that doctors are the only ones authorized to issue a prescription, but this is not the case. The law indicates that there six types of workers with the legal capacity to prescribe drugs and are next:
- Doctors.
- Homeopaths.
- Dental surgeons.
- Veterinarians.
- Interns in social service.
- Registered nurses.
On the other hand, the prescriber (that is you) must prescribe the drugs in accordance with the following:
I. In the case of those included in the Catalog of Interchangeable Generic Medicines referred to in article 75 of this ordinance, you must write down the Generic Denomination and, if you wish, you may indicate the Distinctive Denomination of your preference.
II. In the case of those that are not included in the Catalog referred to in the previous section, it may express the Distinctive Denomination indistinctly or jointly the Generic and Distinctive Denominations.
When the prescription contains the Distinctive Designation of the drug, its sale or supply must conform precisely to this name and may only be substituted when expressly authorized by the prescriber.
The prescription in public institutions will be adjusted to what is indicated in each of them, and in all cases only the generic names of the drugs included in the Basic Table of Supplies for the first level or in the Catalog of Supplies for the first level must be used. the second and third level. By exception, and with the corresponding authorization, other medications may be prescribed.
While to know the mandatory elements that a prescription must have, the editorial team of Saludiario prepared the following infographic. Remember that compliance with the indications is necessary for the patient’s own integrity. In addition, any failure or omission may have legal repercussions for you.