Prescription communication using 5-R framework

Abstract

A medical graduate is expected to be competent in informing the patient/relatives/care taker what he/she has prescribed and give appropriate instructions, and warnings regarding the use of the prescribed medicines. Both, the content (i.e. the information about the prescribed drugs) and delivery of the content are important in such communication. This chapter presents a tool for the students so that they can communicate relevant content in a logical manner. This tool is termed as 5-R framework and the 5 Rs stand for reason/s, regimen, risks, revisit instructions, and revision statements. The chapter describes how the training sessions can be arranged for the students using the time slots available for practicals. It also highlights how the content and its delivery can be assessed, and feedback can be given to the students.