64. The pharmacy receives the following electronic prescription: Aripiprazole 20 mg 1 tab PO daily for heartburn #30 with 5 refills The prescriber should be contacted because there appears to be an error in the:
Answer: C
The prescriber should be contacted because there appears to be an error in the indication for use.
The prescription is for Aripiprazole, which is an antipsychotic medication typically used for conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, not for heartburn. Therefore, the indication for use is incorrect.
A) number of refills.
The number of refills on the prescription is appropriate and does not indicate an error. It is common practice to include multiple refills for chronic medications, but in this case, the issue lies with the indication rather than the refills.
B) medication strength.
The medication strength of 20 mg is a standard dose for Aripiprazole. There is no indication that this dose is inappropriate or incorrect for the intended use, making this option irrelevant to the error present in the prescription.
C) indication for use.
This option correctly identifies the error in the prescription. Aripiprazole is not indicated for heartburn, and thus the prescriber needs to be contacted to clarify the intended use of this medication, confirming that the indication is the primary concern.
D) route of administration.
The route of administration specified as "PO" (by mouth) is correct for Aripiprazole. There are no issues with how the medication is to be taken, so this option does not highlight an error in the prescription.
Conclusion
The prescription's primary issue is the incorrect indication for use of Aripiprazole for heartburn. All other options either reflect acceptable practices or do not pertain to the identified error, reinforcing that the prescriber must be contacted to clarify the intended use of this medication.