(Dr. Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Doctors’ handwriting has become a legendary topic of discussion—and for all the wrong reasons. It is a fact that only an experienced pharmacist can decipher these mysterious scripts, leaving patients scratching their heads. In reality, a doctor’s handwriting can often be read only by a pharmacist who understands which medicine the physician intended to prescribe based on the diagnosis and symptoms.
There are plenty of jokes about doctors’ handwriting, but how is it that almost every doctor’s handwriting is equally bad? Every year, poor handwriting by doctors is reportedly responsible for the deaths of more than 5,000 people.
From the patient’s perspective, illegible handwriting can delay treatment and lead to unnecessary tests and inappropriate dosages, which, in turn, can result in discomfort and even death. It is a serious problem—as patients may get sicker or die after being given the wrong drug—but it remains vastly underreported in India. Not everyone can figure out a doctor’s prescription because, well, 99 out of 100 times doctors write in an illegible script that only the pharmacist can understand. As patients, we have all looked at prescriptions and wondered what in the living hell has just been prescribed. Hardly a word is recognisable, let alone a single letter.
The days of doctors’ prescriptions appearing as parallel lines of illegible scrawls punctuated by the odd circle to indicate dosage may soon be a thing of the past. Handwriting itself is on the verge of extinction. Yet, we find that most prescriptions are still handwritten, if not hastily scribbled. Regarding drugs, prescriptions are essentially required to be written in capital letters, as any ambiguity can create serious problems. At times, the handwriting is so poor that pharmacists are forced to call the doctor for clarification. Spelling mistakes are also common. Sometimes, doctors are unsure of the spelling and simply write the name in a messy manner.
There are doctors who claim to be too busy to spend time writing legibly, but that cannot be accepted as an excuse when it can jeopardise a patient’s health. Some are habitual offenders when it comes to poor handwriting. No doubt, doctors have now been asked to write prescriptions in capital letters and mention the generic names of drugs. The Central Government has also approved amendments to the Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002, mandating that every physician prescribe drugs using generic names in legible capital letters and ensure rational prescription and use of medicines. Unfortunately, some still write in such a way that only a particular pharmacist—usually attached to the same hospital—can understand the pre-scribbled drug names.
Many drugs have similar spellings but cater to entirely different medical conditions. In such cases, even a minor error by the chemist while reading a prescription can have serious consequences.
There is no excuse for poor handwriting. It should be firmly decided that doctors write prescriptions only in capital letters. Thankfully, computers are now available, and some doctors are issuing printed prescriptions. However, computer-generated prescriptions are still difficult to implement, especially in rural areas. Even so, efforts must be made to establish standard rules for prescription writing. The need of the hour is standardisation.
Let us have some ground rules for prescription writing. It is time to put patient safety first and bid adieu to those infamous doctor scrawls. Let us make healthcare a little more legible.
