Writing discharge prescriptions in the ED
Discharge prescriptions for patients going home should be written on a yellow hospital prescription rather than on HSE headed note paper.
Legal requirements for prescriptions
- Must be legible
- Must be in ink
- Must be dated & signed by practitioner in their usual signature
- Clearly indicate the prescriber’s name
- Specify the prescriber’s address (HSE notepaper doesn’t have an address on it)
- State whether the prescriber is a doctor, dentist or nurse. (The Medical Council recommends including doctors registration number – not a legal requirement)
- Specify the name & address of the patient
- State the age of the patient if under twelve years
Legal requirements for Controlled Drug prescriptions (CD schedule 2 & 3)
- Must be written in indelible ink
- Must be dated & signed by practitione
- Must specify the address of the prescriber
- Patient’s name & address must be handwritten (no addressograph stickers)
- Must handwrite the following drug details:
- Dose to be taken
- Form
- Strength
- Total quantity to be supplied in words & figures
- Clearly indicate the prescriber’s name & state whether the person is a registered medical practitioner. (The MC recommends including doctor's MCRN - not a legal requirement)
- Telephone number at which the prescriber may be contacted
| Schedule | Example |
|---|---|
| Schedule 1 | Substances not ordinarily used as medicines e.g. Raw Opium, Coca Leaf |
| Schedule 2 | Opiate substances for example, Morphine, Fentanyl and Oxycodone. Some Stimulants e.g. Lisdexamphetamine |
| Schedule 3 | Certain Benzodiazepines and painkillers e.g. Temazepam, Flunitrazepam, Pentazocine, Ketamine |
| Schedule 4 (1) | Most Benzodiazepines and 'Z-drugs' e.g. Diazepam, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Midazolam and Zolpidem |
| Schedule 4 (2) | Certain Anti-Epileptics for example, Phenobarbitone <100mg. Certain MAOIs e.g. Selegiline |
| Schedule 5 | Lower strengths of painkillers for example, Codeine (below specified concentration) |