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To Add Your Own Defaults

If you are a dispensing practice and want to specify a preferred pack size, look this up first using the Preparation icon and decide which one you want. The Pack Size field in Defaults is free text 0-99999 and does not include a selection list.

  1. Once a drug has been selected in the Drug window on the Therapy-Add screen, click with the right mouse for the options of Drug Defaults, Dosage Codes, Batch Numbers and Preparation Details.
  2. Select Drug Defaults to give you the options View and Maintain.
  3. Click on Maintain. The Default Dosages and Quantities - Add screen is shown. If you do not want to enter defaults for different age ranges, skip to step 5.
  4. Click on Add (beneath the Age Range window).

    An Age Range - Add screen displays.

    • Either just click OK for all ages;
    • Or to enter an age range for which the defaults will apply, enter a Start age, or an End age, or both. For example, type in 0y in Start age and 16y in End age for 0 to 16 years. Click on OK.

    Quantity and Preparation – You can click directly into the Quantity field and enter a figure here, appropriate to the units in Preparation, for example, 28 tablets, 30 grams, 100 ml (see Quantity, Preparation, Packs). . The Preparation selection arrow shows the way the therapy item is prescribed, for example, tablet(s), mls, gram(s) etc. If there is a choice of packs, select the most commonly prescribed pack size to be the default.

    Pack Size – This is a free text field 0-99999 – there is no picklist of pack sizes so you need to know this information before starting the Drug Default Maintenance.

    Treatment Days – Entering a default number of treatment days as well as a quantity is optional, and only relevant for repeat master prescriptions

    Force Re-Authorise - Only relevant for repeat master prescriptions - if this is checked, then only a valid Prescriber (a GP) can re-authorise expired repeats, and not a member of staff (see Reauthorise Repeat Master).

    Click on the Notes icon if you want to add free text information for patients being prescribed this item. This text will always print on the right-hand side of the prescription.

    Default Dosage - Click within the Dosage window, and type in the default dosage code (see Add a dosage for selected therapy), eg 1 od for 1 every day.

    Repeats - Only relevant for repeat master prescriptions, enter a default number of repeats. In Duration, you can enter a time for the prescription to last, for example, 28d for 28 days. Optionally enter Days Between Issues as a minimum figure and/or maximum figure (see Repeats, Repeat Until, Days Between, Force Reauthorise).

  5. Drug Class - Here you are specifying which Drug Class you would like by default for this therapy item. <None> implies no drug class by default. To select a drug class, click on the selection arrow and change the default from <None> to the drug class of the currently selected item.
    • For example, the default drug class for Aspirin can be either <None>, Non-opioid analgesics, Antiplatelet drugs, or NSAID.
    • Some drugs in Gemscript belong to more than one drug class, ie they are licensed for more than one use. For example, Aspirin is a non-opioid analgesic (main drug class) but is also licensed as an anti-platelet drug. Aspirin is more often prescribed as an anti-platelet drug.
    • When prescribing, the GP is therefore able to specify in what respect the drug is being given – main drug class or otherwise.
  6. Click on Save then click on Close.
    • Thereafter, when that drug is selected for a patient within the specified age range, the defaults you have chosen will be entered automatically.