prescribe a needle?

[pinkie9]

I've always thought that "prescribe" is used for a medicine.
But I by chance found that a dictionary says it means "to tell somebody to take a particular medicine or have a particular treatment". So, it's not only medicines.

This makes me wonder if this is applicable when an self-injectable injection kit is provided to a patient with diabetes.
Is it possibe to say "prescribe a syringe and an injection needle"?

[Gillnetter]

I've always thought that "prescribe" is used for a medicine.
But I by chance found that a dictionary says it means "to tell somebody to take a particular medicine or have a particular treatment". So, it's not only medicines.

This makes me wonder if this is applicable when an self-injectable injection kit is provided to a patient with diabetes.
Is it possibe to say "prescribe a syringe and an injection needle"?

Yes (Though your sentence needs a bit more - "He will prescribe..."). A doctor could prescribe a syringe or a long walk in the park. Also, I could prescribe that my students read a chapter of Hemingway every night.

[pinkie9]

I see . Thank you very much!

[SoothingDave]

You also need a doctor's prescription for medical devices and testing supplies. Like strips for a glucose meter or a wheelchair, etc. Medical insurance will cover all or some of the cost for such devices when they are medically necessary.

[pinkie9]

That's very informative. Thank you so much!

[BobSmith]

[not a teacher]

As Gillnetter pointed out, "prescribe/prescription" isn't solely for medical usage.

"We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That's a clear prescription for disaster." - Carl Sagan, 1994