ISO 17251 (“dose syntax”)

ISO 17251 – Health informatics — Requirements for a syntax to exchange structured dose information for medicinal products record

This Technical Specification (TS) describes the requirements for the (semi)structured content of a dose instruction.
If a medicinal product is prescribed or dispensed, it is necessary to indicate the dosage of the medicine, in order that the patient or the person who administrates the drug knows how the medicine should be used.
For several purposes, it is useful to standardize the elements that can play a role in the dosage information of the medicine. Standardizing this information enhances for example interoperability in case of electronic communication, leverages the usage of this in information in decision support, and standardizes the terminology for patients in case the dose instruction is printed on the label.
This Technical Specification describes the elements of a dose instruction, like:

  • Administration amount and unit
  • Timing of dose events or frequency
  • Duration of the dosage/dosing event
  • Route of administration
  • And other characteristics

One finds more information about ISO 17251 here.