Preparation

If you click on the bottle icon by Preparation (or Ctrl - P), this shows PackDetails. This also lists the ways this therapy item is packaged (for example, tablets), the cost, and whether the drug item is packaged in divisible or indivisible quantities. It also has a default quantity to be prescribed, so clicking on one of these will enter both the Preparation and Quantity. You can overtype the quantity in Quantity if you wish.

Historically, you have been allowed to type free text in Preparation. However, this is no longer possible. The reason is that preparations with free text were not being interpreted by the receiving pharmacy systems in the same way as the sender intended. This does mean that any repeats with non-standard text, ie typed in, rather than being selected from the Preparation picklist, must be changed to a picklist selection. A particular culprit has been 'OP' (original pack) which has been freely used historically.

This also applies to the Preparation field in drug defaults as well, and may well have been included in drug regimes in local guidelines.

Warning messages will be given if you are trying to add, edit, reauthorise or issue a repeat or acute with non-standard text. All warning messages are listed on the Event Log (Vision front menu - Management Tools - Event Log).

The items with non-standard text will be shown in red under the Preparation column on Therapy Display. For any such repeats, you are advised to reauthorise, editing the Preparation column by selecting from the Preparation picklist before clicking OK.