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Audit: prescription of ‘as required’ (p.r.n.) medication in an in-patient setting

Winterbourne House, 53/55 Argyle Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 7YL

Aims and method This audit examines the quality of ‘as required’ (p.r.n.) prescribing for in-patients before and after standard setting.

Results There were improvements in writing oral/intramuscular prescriptions and in the use of different drugs regularly and p.r.n. There was a trend for improvement in completion of guidelines for those on high doses but completion was not influenced by hidden p.r.n. prescribing. Writing p.r.n. prescriptions as a ranged dose was common and did not improve significantly.

Clinical implications By using some simple measures, improvements in some aspects of potentially problematic p.r.n. medication can be achieved.

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