Drug Defaults

If you don't have these on then every time you attempt to prescribe a commonly used item such as Paracetamol tablets 500mg you will have to amend the default quantity (it defaults to '8' from Normalex) and probably the dosage instructions as well.

So: sort out drug defaults. You (R) click on the drug name and select 'Drug Defaults' -> 'Maintain' to do this.

Agree the usual defaults with your partners and prescribers to avoid arguments. Drug defaults will apply across your practice - not just to you.

If you start setting these up in an opportunistic way then within a week you will have the 10 common ones and by 6 months you will have 80% of them done. And it saves so much time and hassle it is definitely worth the investment.

If you cannot remember Paracetamol 120mg / 5ml dosages per age group (and after 14 years of GP working I still have to check them!) then setting these up in drug defaults is a little bit of magic.