Pharmacy — Advice on a New Antibiotic Course
A pharmacist writes to a patient starting nitrofurantoin for a urinary tract infection. This is a beginner advice case: a single medicine, a clear set of instructions, and a simple safety net. It is the ideal case for practising patient-friendly register before harder counselling letters.
Letter type
Advice
Write to
Patient
Target length
180–200 words
The case notes
Patient: Mrs Aisha Noor, 41 years old
Reason: Uncomplicated urinary tract infection confirmed on dipstick
Prescription: Nitrofurantoin 100 mg modified-release, twice daily for 3 days
How to take: Take with food; complete the full course even if symptoms settle early
Side effects to mention: May cause nausea and turn urine dark yellow or brown — harmless and expected
Safety net: Seek help if symptoms worsen, fever or back pain develop, or no improvement after 48 hours
General advice: Drink plenty of fluids; usual painkillers may be used for discomfort
Task: Write an advice letter to Mrs Noor explaining how to take her antibiotic and what to watch for.
Writing task
Write an advice letter to Mrs Noor explaining how to take her antibiotic and what to watch for.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
-
How and when to take it, and finishing the course
The central instruction; not completing the course risks treatment failure and resistance.
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The harmless dark-urine side effect
Pre-warning prevents an alarmed patient stopping the medicine unnecessarily.
-
The safety net for worsening symptoms
Examiners reward a clear, specific safety net in advice letters above almost any other content.
Leave out
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The pharmacology of nitrofurantoin
Mechanism detail is wrong for a patient audience and breaks the register.
-
Dipstick technicalities
The patient needs to know what to do, not how the diagnosis was reached.
Criterion in focus · Genre & Style
Patient advice is the clearest test of register. Warm, plain, direct sentences score Genre & Style; clinical jargon or a formal professional tone aimed at the wrong reader loses it, even when every fact is correct.
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 180–200 words advice letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.