Medical Assistant Prep / Unit 5 MAS 101 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Generic Names and Brand Names
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The idea
Every medication has a generic name, and many also have one or more brand names.
In practice
An order may use either name, but the generic name is considered the safest, because it names the drug itself and lets the pharmacist substitute an equivalent brand.
Where people slip
Two names can mean one drug, so a patient may unknowingly take a double amount.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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