Fig. 2: Prescription processing workflow and a high-level overview of MEDIC.

a, Integration of the MEDIC system within the prescription processing workflow. Flow A,B, upon a DE opening a new prescription, the suggestion module activates automatically, offering proposed directions within the DE user interface. Flow C,D, each time a DE types or edits directions, the flagging module initiates, displaying flagging results in the DE user interface. Flow E, should the entered direction be deemed accurate, it advances to pharmacist verification (PV). Flow F, detected errors in the entered direction are sent back by the pharmacists for rectification. Flow G, after verification, the typed direction moves to fulfillment. b, Workflow of the suggestion function. Incoming medication directions from the prescriber and the associated internal drug ID serve as primary inputs. Raw directions undergo processing in pharmalexical normalization, key components are identified in AI-powered extraction and finally, directions are assembled and undergo safety checks in semantic assembly and safety enforcement. c, Workflow of the flagging function. Direction pairs and their associated drug IDs are primary inputs. Both sets of directions traverse the main stages of MEDIC (pharmalexical normalization and AI-powered extraction). A component-wise comparison is then conducted between the two assembled directions to identify any discrepancies.