PrescriptionLine

Represents an individual medication entry within a prescription, specifying the drug, dosage, frequency, route, and detailed administration instructions. Supports complex dosing regimens, PRN medications, and sequential treatment protocols for safe dispensing and administration.

Overview

PrescriptionLine provides detailed medication instructions within a parent Prescription. When prescriptions contain multiple medications or complex dosing, each line specifies the drug, exact dose, frequency, route, duration, and any special instructions. This supports tapering regimens, PRN medications with triggers, max daily doses, and multi-step treatment protocols.

Key Concepts

Parent Prescription

The prescription field links to the parent order:

• Inherits patient, prescriber, encounter
• Supports multi-medication prescriptions
• Each line can be dispensed separately
• Maintains order integrity

Medication Reference

The medication links to Medication:

• Standardized drug identification
• Form and strength details
• Controlled substance status
• Supports drug interaction checking

Dosage Text

The dosageText field provides the sig:

• Full human-readable instructions
• Appears on prescription label
• Example: "Take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily with food"

Dose Specification

Precise dosing fields:

• doseQuantity - Amount per dose
• doseUnit - Unit (mg, tablet, ml, etc.)
• dailyDose (calculated) - Total per day

Administration Frequency

The frequency links to Frequency type:

• How often to take
• Time of day specifications
• With/without food
• Maximum per day limits

Route of Administration

The route field specifies how to take:

Administration Site

The site field links to HealthReferenceBodySite:

• Injection sites
• Topical application areas
• Site rotation requirements

PRN Medications

For as-needed medications:

• asNeeded - Boolean flag
• asNeededReason - Trigger condition
• "for pain rated 4 or higher"
• "for nausea"
• "for blood pressure > 160"

Safety Limits

Maximum dose constraints:

• maxDosePerDay - Daily ceiling
• Prevents accidental overdose
• Critical for PRN medications
• Supports clinical alerts

Treatment Duration

The duration field specifies:

• Total days of treatment
• Antibiotics: 7-14 days typical
• Short-term vs. chronic therapy
• Supports quantity calculation

Sequencing

The sequence field enables:

• Tapering regimens
• Step therapy protocols
• Multi-phase treatments
• Dose escalation plans

Special Instructions

The additionalInstructions array captures:

• "Take with food"
• "Avoid alcohol"
• "Do not crush"
• "Refrigerate after opening"
• "May cause drowsiness"

Use Cases

Simple Daily Medication

For routine chronic therapy:

1. Set medication reference
2. Specify dose (10 mg, 1 tablet)
3. Set frequency (once daily)
4. Route oral
5. Duration ongoing
6. Standard instructions

PRN Pain Medication

For as-needed use:

1. Set asNeeded: true
2. Document asNeededReason
3. Set maxDosePerDay for safety
4. Provide dosing range if applicable
5. Add warning instructions
6. Flag controlled substance status

Antibiotic Course

For infection treatment:

1. Set specific duration (10 days)
2. Calculate quantity from frequency
3. Add "complete full course" instruction
4. Include food/timing guidance
5. Note storage requirements

Tapering Regimen

For dose reduction (steroids, etc.):

1. Create multiple PrescriptionLines
2. Set sequence numbers (1, 2, 3...)
3. Decreasing doses per sequence
4. Specific duration per step
5. Clear transition instructions

Insulin Dosing

For diabetes management:

1. Specify units
2. Set injection route
3. Document injection site
4. Timing relative to meals
5. Sliding scale if applicable
6. Storage instructions

Related Entities

Calculated Fields

Enums

doseUnit

route