Question

A medical assistant is transcribing a prescription from a provider for a medication that must be taken hourly. Which of the following abbreviations should the assistant identify as the correct notation of when and how often the patient should take the medication?

1) QID
2) QD
3) BID
4) QH

Answer 1

The correct abbreviation for a medication that must be taken hourly is QH, which stands for 'every hour'. It is vital for medical assistants to accurately transcribe prescriptions to ensure effective and safe patient treatment.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a medical assistant is transcribing a prescription from a provider for a medication that must be taken hourly, the correct abbreviation for when and how often the patient should take the medication is QH. This stands for 'every hour' from the Latin 'quake hora'. The other abbreviations listed are incorrect for this frequency: QID is 'four times a day', QD is 'once-daily', and BID is 'twice daily'. It is crucial that medical assistants understand and use these abbreviations accurately to prevent dosing errors.

Furthermore, proper dosing is essential to ensure optimum therapeutic drug levels at the site of infection while minimizing the risk of toxicity. This is particularly important for antibiotics like penicillin derivatives, where compliance with the dosage and route of administration can significantly impact the effectiveness of treatment, as seen in the case of Barbara diagnosed with pneumonia.