In pharmacy, PSD stands for Patient Specific Direction. It's essentially a prescriber's instruction that allows a named healthcare professional to administer a prescribed medicine to a specific, individually assessed patient.
Here's a breakdown of what that means:
- Patient Specific: The direction is tailored to an individual patient's needs. It's not a blanket order for everyone.
- Direction: It provides explicit instructions on how and when to administer the medication.
- Prescriber Assessment: A key element of a PSD is that the prescriber (doctor, nurse prescriber, etc.) has personally assessed the patient and determined the medication is appropriate.
- Named Patient: The PSD clearly identifies the patient who is to receive the medication.
- Authorized Administrator: It specifies the named healthcare professional who is authorized to administer the medicine (e.g., a registered nurse, pharmacist).
Essentially, a PSD bridges the gap between a traditional prescription and scenarios where direct prescribing by a doctor isn't immediately feasible, but a qualified healthcare professional can safely administer medication under clearly defined instructions following a prior assessment.
