Medication

Reference data for medications with standardized coding (RxNorm, NDC, ATC). Defines pharmaceutical products including generic names, brand names, forms, routes, strengths, therapeutic classes, and controlled substance schedules.

Overview

Medication provides the reference catalog of pharmaceutical products used across prescribing, dispensing, and administration workflows. Each medication is coded using standard terminologies (RxNorm, NDC, ATC), with detailed pharmaceutical information including form (tablet, injection), route (oral, IV), strength, and controlled substance classification. This reference data supports drug databases, clinical decision support, and interoperability.

Key Concepts

Coding Systems

The system field identifies the terminology:

System	Use Case	Example
`RxNorm`	Clinical prescribing (US)	197361
`NDC`	US drug packaging	0456-1234-01
`ATC`	WHO drug classification	C09AA02
`SNOMED-CT`	Clinical terminology	318897005

Drug Identification

Multiple identifiers for the same medication:

code - Primary code in specified system
genericName - Non-proprietary drug name
brandNames - Array of trade names
label - Full display name with strength

Pharmaceutical Forms

The form field describes the dosage form:

Form	Description	Examples
`tablet`	Solid oral dose	Lisinopril 10mg
`capsule`	Gelatin-enclosed	Omeprazole 20mg
`solution`	Liquid preparation	IV saline
`injection`	Injectable form	Insulin
`inhaler`	Aerosol inhalation	Albuterol MDI
`patch`	Transdermal system	Fentanyl patch
`cream`	Topical preparation	Hydrocortisone

Routes of Administration

The route field specifies delivery method:

Route	Description	Typical Forms
`oral`	By mouth	Tablets, capsules, solutions
`intravenous`	Into vein	Injections, infusions
`intramuscular`	Into muscle	Injections
`subcutaneous`	Under skin	Injections
`topical`	On skin surface	Creams, ointments
`inhalation`	Breathed in	Inhalers, nebulizers
`transdermal`	Through skin	Patches

Drug Strength

The strength field specifies potency:

Expressed with units (e.g., "10 MG", "500 MCG")
Critical for dosing calculations
May include concentration for liquids

Therapeutic Classification

The therapeuticClass field categorizes by mechanism:

ACE Inhibitor, Beta Blocker
Opioid Analgesic, NSAID
Proton Pump Inhibitor
Supports formulary organization

Controlled Substance Schedule

The controlledSubstanceSchedule field indicates DEA classification:

Schedule	Abuse Potential	Medical Use	Examples
`I`	Highest	None accepted	Heroin, LSD
`II`	High	Accepted	Oxycodone, Fentanyl
`III`	Moderate	Accepted	Codeine combinations
`IV`	Lower	Accepted	Benzodiazepines
`V`	Lowest	Accepted	Low-dose codeine
`not-controlled`	N/A	Accepted	Most medications

Use Cases

Drug Database

Building medication catalog:

Import medications from source system
Map to standard codes (RxNorm)
Populate form, route, strength
Assign therapeutic classifications
Flag controlled substances

Prescription Entry

When writing prescriptions:

Search medications by name
Display with strength and form
Filter by route if needed
Check controlled status
Apply prescribing rules

Drug Interaction Checking

For clinical decision support:

Look up medications by code
Query therapeutic class
Check drug-drug interactions
Alert on duplicates
Support formulary compliance

Dispensing Support

For pharmacy workflow:

Match prescription to product
Verify NDC for inventory
Check generic equivalents
Apply substitution rules
Generate labels

Formulary Management

For health plan drug lists:

Organize by therapeutic class
Track preferred products
Manage prior authorizations
Support step therapy
Monitor utilization

Related Entities

Entity	Relationship	Description
Prescription	Referenced by	Prescriptions for this medication
PrescriptionLine	Referenced by	Line items for this medication
MedicationAdministration	Referenced by	Administration events
MedicationDispense	Referenced by	Dispensing events

Enums

system

Value	Description
`RxNorm`	NLM clinical drug terminology for US prescribing
`NDC`	National Drug Code for US drug packaging identification
`ATC`	WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification
`SNOMED-CT`	Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms
`other`	Other coding system not listed

form

Value	Description
`tablet`	Solid oral dosage form, may be scored for splitting
`capsule`	Gelatin shell containing medication
`solution`	Liquid preparation with dissolved drug
`suspension`	Liquid with suspended particles, requires shaking
`injection`	Sterile preparation for parenteral administration
`cream`	Semi-solid topical emulsion for skin
`ointment`	Semi-solid topical preparation, greasier than cream
`patch`	Transdermal delivery system
`inhaler`	Metered-dose or dry powder inhalation device
`drops`	Liquid for ophthalmic, otic, or nasal use
`suppository`	Solid dosage for rectal or vaginal insertion
`powder`	Dry powder for reconstitution or direct use
`other`	Other pharmaceutical form not listed

route

Value	Description
`oral`	Administered by mouth and swallowed
`intravenous`	Administered directly into a vein
`intramuscular`	Injected into muscle tissue
`subcutaneous`	Injected under the skin
`topical`	Applied to external body surface
`inhalation`	Breathed into the lungs
`nasal`	Administered into the nasal passages
`ophthalmic`	Applied to the eye
`otic`	Applied to the ear
`rectal`	Administered into the rectum
`vaginal`	Administered into the vagina
`transdermal`	Absorbed through the skin over time
`other`	Other route of administration

controlledSubstanceSchedule

Value	Description
`I`	Schedule I - High abuse potential, no accepted medical use
`II`	Schedule II - High abuse potential, accepted medical use, severe dependence
`III`	Schedule III - Moderate abuse potential, accepted medical use
`IV`	Schedule IV - Lower abuse potential, accepted medical use
`V`	Schedule V - Lowest abuse potential, accepted medical use
`not-controlled`	Not a DEA controlled substance

11 properties

Schema

Properties

Property	Type	Mode	Description	Required
code	string	stored	Standardized medication code Example: `"197361"`	Required
system	string	stored	Coding system used Values: `RxNorm, NDC, ATC, SNOMED-CT, other` Example: `"RxNorm"`	Required
label	string	stored	Human-readable name of the medication Example: `"Lisinopril 10 MG Oral Tablet"`	Required
genericName	string	stored	Generic drug name Example: `"Lisinopril"`	Optional
brandNames	string[]	stored	Brand names for the medication Example: `["Prinivil","Zestril"]`	Optional
form	string	stored	Pharmaceutical form Values: `tablet, capsule, solution, suspension, injection, cream, ointment, patch, inhaler, drops, suppository, powder, other` Example: `"tablet"`	Optional
route	string	stored	Route of administration Values: `oral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, topical, inhalation, nasal, ophthalmic, otic, rectal, vaginal, transdermal, other` Example: `"oral"`	Optional
strength	string	stored	Drug strength Example: `"10 MG"`	Optional
therapeuticClass	string	stored	Therapeutic classification Example: `"ACE Inhibitor"`	Optional
controlledSubstanceSchedule	string	stored	DEA controlled substance schedule if applicable Values: `I, II, III, IV, V, not-controlled`	Optional
description	string	stored	Additional details about the medication	Optional

Examples

Example 1

{
  "@type": "Medication",
  "code": "197361",
  "system": "RxNorm",
  "label": "Lisinopril 10 MG Oral Tablet",
  "genericName": "Lisinopril",
  "brandNames": [
    "Prinivil",
    "Zestril"
  ],
  "form": "tablet",
  "route": "oral",
  "strength": "10 MG",
  "therapeuticClass": "ACE Inhibitor",
  "controlledSubstanceSchedule": "not-controlled"
}

Example 2

{
  "@type": "Medication",
  "code": "860975",
  "system": "RxNorm",
  "label": "Metformin 500 MG Oral Tablet",
  "genericName": "Metformin",
  "brandNames": [
    "Glucophage"
  ],
  "form": "tablet",
  "route": "oral",
  "strength": "500 MG",
  "therapeuticClass": "Biguanide",
  "controlledSubstanceSchedule": "not-controlled"
}

Example 3

{
  "@type": "Medication",
  "code": "1049502",
  "system": "RxNorm",
  "label": "Oxycodone 5 MG Oral Tablet",
  "genericName": "Oxycodone",
  "brandNames": [
    "OxyContin",
    "Roxicodone"
  ],
  "form": "tablet",
  "route": "oral",
  "strength": "5 MG",
  "therapeuticClass": "Opioid Analgesic",
  "controlledSubstanceSchedule": "II"
}