Which of the following must be included in the written record of a verbal prescription?

The inclusion of the prescription number in the written record of a verbal prescription is essential for several reasons. A prescription number serves as a unique identifier that helps in tracking the prescription within the pharmacy's record-keeping system. This facilitates the efficient management of the patient’s medication history, ensuring safe dispensing practices and enabling pharmacists to reference past prescriptions for the same patient quickly. It also provides a means to communicate effectively with insurance providers and helps in the proper billing process.

In contrast to the correct choice, other elements such as a patient’s social security number, practitioner’s office address, and a record of previous prescriptions do not serve the same purpose in the context of a verbal prescription. The social security number is generally not required for prescription records and raises privacy concerns, while the practitioner’s office address, although important, does not uniquely identify the prescription itself. Previous prescriptions, while useful for clinical decisions, do not need to be documented as part of the mandatory information for a verbal prescription.