The scope of this document is constrained to the content of the electronic prescription (3.7) itself, the digital document which is issued by a prescribing (3.6) healthcare professional and received by a dispensing (3.2) healthcare professional. The prescribed medicinal product (3.8) is to be dispensed through an authorized healthcare professional with the aim of being administered to a human patient. This document specifies the requirements that apply to electronic prescriptions. It describes generic principles that are considered important for all electronic prescriptions. This document is applicable to electronic prescriptions of medicinal products for human use. Although other kinds of products (e.g. medical devices, wound care products) can be ordered by means of an electronic prescription (3.7), the requirements in this document are aimed at medicinal products that have a market authorization (3.11) and at pharmaceutical preparations which are compounded in a pharmacy. An electronic prescription (3.7) is an information object that authorizes a healthcare professional to legally dispense a medicinal product (3.8) as specified in the prescription (3.7). The word prescription (3.7) is used in different context depending on the language and country. In certain languages it only refers to a community setting, while the prescribing (3.6) in institutional setting is called differently, such as medication order. In other languages the same word is used for the community as well as the institutional setting. In general the content still should abide to (International) Medicinal acts, that do not distinguish any setting. This document does not limit the scope to any setting and leaves it to the National bodies to decide on this matter. This document specifies a list of data elements that can be considered as essential for electronic prescriptions, depending on jurisdiction or clinical setting (primary healthcare, hospital, etc.). Ensuring the authenticity of these data elements is in scope and will have impact on the requirements of information systems.