[Guide to perfect prescribing in Switzerland]

Abstract

An important initial step in the medication process is prescription writing. The more perfect it is, the more successfully can a therapy be performed. Imprecisions and missing information lead to unnecessary queries or to errors which are often randomly discovered during a later consultation. A "perfect prescription" serves every individual involved in the medication process. The prescription document contains the instructions for the patient, the pharmacist, the nurse, and other health professionals involved in the therapy. The prescription writing process is regulated by several laws and decrees which were enacted to assure the greatest possible drug safety. Deviations from the norm may be necessary in individual cases, which require an even more responsible prescribing and explicit indication.