Which prescribing guideline is associated with safe prescribing to avoid misread digits?

• A. Leading zero, avoid trailing zero
• B. Trailing zero, include decimal points
• C. Always use abbreviations
• D. Use multiple decimal places

Answer: (A)

Safe prescribing relies on clear decimal formatting to prevent dose misreads. Writing a leading zero before the decimal point for doses less than one unit makes the amount unmistakable, so 0.5 mg is preferred to .5 mg. Also, avoid trailing zeros after the decimal because extra zeros can be misread or imply a different dose; write 2.5 mg rather than 2.50 mg. Together these practices reduce the risk of dosing errors due to misinterpreted numbers.