Medical Prescription - RX

A medical prescription RX is an order (often in written form) by a qualified health care professional to a pharmacist or other therapist for a treatment to be provided to their patient.

A prescription is a legal document which not only instructs in the preparation and provision of the medicine or device but indicates the prescriber takes responsibility for the clinical care of the patient and the outcomes that may or may not be achieved.

Who can write prescriptions
Who can issue prescriptions is governed by local legislation. In the United States, allopathic physicians, osteopathic physicians, veterinarians, dentists, and podiatrists have full prescribing power. In all states, optometrists can prescribe medications to treat certain eye diseases, and will also issue eyeglass prescriptions for corrective eyeglasses.

States allow mid-level practitioners different prescription privileges. Physician assistants (also known as physician associates or PAs), nurse practitioners (also known as advance practice nurses or NPs), optometrists and some registered pharmacists currently represent the spectrum of mid-level practitioners. Each state regulates what (if any) prescription powers members of the above group are allowed. Advance practice nurses and physician assistants have some form of prescriptive authority in all 50 states.
 

But registered pharmacists, for example, have limited prescriptive authority in only 6 states. Several states have passed RxP legislation, allowing clinical psychologists (PhD's or PsyD's) who have also undergone specialized training in script-writing to prescribe a limited number of drugs to treat emotional and mental disorders.

Prescriptions are also used for things that are not strictly regulated as a prescription drug. Prescribers will often give non-prescription drugs out as prescriptions because drug benefit plans may reimburse the patient only if the over-the-counter medication is taken under the direction of a doctor. Conversely, if a medication is available over-the-counter, doctors may ask patients if they want it as a prescription and possibly incur a pharmacist's dispensing fee or whether they want to get it themselves at a lower price. If the patient wants the medication not under prescription, the prescriber is usually careful to give the medication name to the patient on a blank piece of paper to avoid any confusion with a prescription. This is applied to non-medications as well. For example, crutches, and registered massage therapy may be reimbursed under some health plans, but only if given out by a prescriber as a prescription.