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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Dispensing and Counselling

Dispense

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/dɪˈspɛns/verbCore term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, dispense means: To prepare and supply a medicine to a patient against a prescription, usually after checking it, labelling it and explaining how to use it.

In Turkish: reçete karşılamak, ilacı hastaya vermek, ilaç hazırlayıp teslim etmek

How it is used

A key verb in pharmacy practice: pharmacists dispense prescriptions and dispense medicines to patients. Related words are dispensing (the process), dispensary (the room where it happens) and dispensing error. In everyday American English people more often say 'fill a prescription'.

Example sentences

  1. We dispensed over three hundred prescriptions yesterday.

  2. Never dispense a medicine if the prescription is unclear; contact the prescriber first.

Common collocations

  • dispense a prescription
  • dispense medicines
  • dispensing error
  • dispensing fee
  • prescriptionA written or electronic order from a doctor or other authorised prescriber that tells the pharmacist which medicine to supply and how the patient should use it.
  • pharmacistA health professional trained in medicines who checks prescriptions, supplies medicines, advises people on using them safely and works with doctors on patients' treatment.
  • dispensing labelThe label a pharmacy sticks on a dispensed medicine, showing the patient's name, the drug and strength, the directions for use, the date and the pharmacy's details.
  • patient counsellingThe conversation in which a pharmacist explains to a patient how to use a medicine, what to expect from it and which side effects or warnings to watch for.

More terms: Dispensing and Counselling

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.