Alliterative prescriptions pose problems.Alliterative al·lit·er·a·tive adj. Of, showing, or characterized by alliteration. al·lit  er·a prescriptions pose problems A letter in the March 30 NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. draws attention to a growing problem among medical professional as they try to keep current on the many new, chemically related but pharmacologically distinct drugs coming onto the market. Pharmacist Robert Ellis and physician Danny J. Lancaster, both of the Regional Medical Center at Memphis (Tenn.), make special note of drugs related to the antibiotic cephalosporin cephalosporin (sĕf'əlōspôr`ĭn), any of a group of more than 20 antibiotics derived from species of fungi of the genus Cephalosporium and closely related chemically to penicillin. Cephalosporins, e.g. -- including cefotaxime, cefoxitin, ceftizoxime, ceftriaxone ceftriaxone /cef·tri·ax·one/ (cef?tri-ak´son) a semisynthetic, ß–resistant, third-generation cephalosporin effective against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, used as the sodium salt. , cefotetan and ceftazidime. "So similar are their spellings that they are frequently referred to as 'cephawhatchamacallums' by physicians and pharmacists, and often it is the pharmacy's best guess that determines which drug the patient receives," Ellis and Lancaster write. Among the many misspelled, nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non drugs they've seen ordered by physicians in the past two years are ceftatozine, cefoxitane, cefatotoxin, ceftodzine, cefotatime, ceftriozime and ceftriazone. "We can offer no simple solution to the problem," they conclude. But "the institution of mandatory cephalosporin spelling bees in medical schools and residency programs" might help, they say. |
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