Pro re nata

Pro re nata is a Latin phrase meaning in the circumstances or as the circumstance arises (literally "for the thing born").[1] It is commonly used in medicine to mean as needed or as the situation arises. Generally abbreviated to p.r.n. or PRN, it refers to the administration of prescribed medication whose timing is left to the patient (in the case of patient-controlled analgesia), nurse or caregiver, as opposed to medication that is to be taken according to a fixed (usually daily) schedule (a.k.a. "scheduled dosage"). Pro re nata does not imply that the patient may take as much of the medicine as desired, but rather that the medicine may be taken in the prescribed dosage if needed. Such administration of medication is not meant to imply, and should never allow for, exceeding a maximum daily dosage. This aspect of "only if needed, and only up to some maximum" makes pro re nata dosages (which are common) differentiable from ad libitum dosages (which are not common). (This and other abbreviations used in medical prescriptions are listed here.)

References

  1. ↑ Oxford Latin Dictionary s.v. nascor ~ī nātus (p. 1156)


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