It includes the name, age, sex, and address of the patient. It is important to check the age of the patient to ensure that the prescribed dose is correct. Weight can also be mentioned to calculate the appropriate dose.

Date

Prescriptions are dated at the time of writing them. It is an important factor in establishing the medication record of the patient. Date is also important to a pharmacist in filling prescriptions for controlled substances. It helps to prevent the patient from producing the prescription repeatedly at later dates.

Superscription

This is denoted by the symbol  which is an abbreviation of the Latin verb “recipe,” meaning “take thou” or “you take.” Some historians believe the symbol originated from the sign of Jupiter, the god of healing. It was the custom of the Roman physicians to begin a prescription with an invocation to Jupiter to bless their remedies.

Inscription

This is the body or principal part of the prescription order. It includes the medication prescribed and contains the names and quantities of the prescribed drugs. Today, a majority of prescriptions are written for medications that are already formulated into dosage forms by industrial manufacturers. The medications may be prescribed under their brand names or generic names. Pharmacists are required to dispense the trademarked product when prescribed, unless the substitution of an equivalent product is permitted by the prescribing physician and the patient.

Prescription orders requiring the pharmacist to mix the ingredients are termed as compounded prescriptions. Such prescriptions contain the names of the ingredients and their quantities. The quantities of ingredients used may be indicated in metric or apothecary system of weights and measures.

Subscription

This part of the prescription contains directions to the pharmacist for preparing the prescriptions and for dispensing them. In a large majority of prescriptions, the subscription merely serves to indicate the dosage form (tablets, capsules, syrup, etc.) and the number of dosage units to be supplied. The following are a few examples of directions to the pharmacist:

M. ft. caps. d.t.d. no. xxiv (Mix and make capsules. Dispense 24 such doses.)

Ft. sup. no. xii (Make 12 suppositories.)

M. ft. ung. (Mix and make an ointment.)

Signatura

This is usually abbreviated as “Signa” or “Sig,” meaning “mark thou.” In this portion of the prescription, the prescriber indicates directions to the patient regarding the use of the medication. The directions are usually written using abbreviated forms of English or Latin terms or in combination (see Table 2.1). The directions are transcribed by the pharmacist onto the label of the container of the dispensed medication. It is advisable for the pharmacist to reinforce the directions to the patient while dispensing the medication.