People Are Die Just Because Of Dr. Handwriting
D eath by prescription: The jokes about physicians and their sloppy handwriting are age-old and more or less contented among doctors themselves. But for some people, it is not funny at all. A misread prescription can lead to mistreatment and cause death.
Doctors’ prescription isn’t just a guide for patients but also an instruction manual for family members, documentation of drug requirement for chemists, and track record of patients’ past and present conditions for other doctors.Reports and studies
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), USA, released a study report To err is human: Building a safer Health System. It revealed that 44,000 to 98,000 people die annually in the USA from medical errors. Out of them, about 7,000 deaths are attributable to sloppy handwriting. The report estimated a national cost of $17 to 29 billion for preventable adverse events in health care. In the UK, about 30,000 British die every year due to medical errors. Illegible prescriptions do take a fair share of it.
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From the perspective of patients, illegible handwriting in prescription writing is a nuisance, which could result in serious injuries, including the death of the patients. It may compel patients to take wrong medicine and wrong dosage and can also lead to unnecessary tests and discomfort. Pharmacists may dispense the wrong drugs.
According to Medical Report
A few years ago, the daughter-in-law of the former editor of a leading publication in Assam was admitted to GNRC hospital in Guwahati as she was suffering from convulsions. The examination and investigations could not pinpoint a particular reason. However, a staff nurse could reveal that a doctor in Delhi had prescribed her ‘DUODIL' a drug for muscle spasm and resultant pain and discomfort.
Because of the quality of handwriting, she was dispensed a drug ‘DAONIL', a medicine for diabetes, by the pharmacist in a pharmacy. She was taking it for a few days. This caused a sudden fall in her blood sugar levels, leading to the convulsions. Such a grave consequence was mainly due to the illegible handwriting of the doctor who treated her in Delhi.
SOLUTION:
Digitizing the patient records and prescriptions
In a country where digital India, e-governance, e-health, and e-pharmacies are running at a pace, it is high time handwritten prescriptions are banned. In January 2017, the Bangladesh High Court ordered the government to issue a circular asking doctor to write prescriptions clearly in block letters or print the prescriptions. In March 2018, the Ministry of Health and Prevention of UAE banned handwritten prescriptions and said prescriptions have to be in electronic or printed format.
In September 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital directed all doctors whether in government, public or private clinics, and hospitals to issue computer-generated prescriptions and not handwritten ones so that patients and their caregivers understand them.
- Poor handwriting has caused a number of deaths of patients and increased the incidence of medical errors in India also. Since we don’t have a perfect data bank or correct registry, the exact numbers are not known.
- Some studies have shown that male doctors are having far worse handwriting than their female counterparts. Many times, the doctors themselves find it difficult to read their own handwriting at a later stage.
- It is also found that doctors' handwriting is no better at home than in the hospital. Reading a doctor’s prescription has always been a challenge for the common man.
- Sometimes doctors themselves cannot read their own handwriting, though they sheepishly admit it to be their own. The most common reason for illegible handwriting is a large number of patients to be seen, notes to be written, and prescriptions given, in a short time.
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| © Copyright Image - Google Image |
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| © Copyright Image - Google Image |
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| © Copyright Image - Google Image |
From the perspective of patients, illegible handwriting in prescription writing is a nuisance, which could result in serious injuries, including the death of the patients. It may compel patients to take wrong medicine and wrong dosage and can also lead to unnecessary tests and discomfort. Pharmacists may dispense the wrong drugs.
According to Medical Report
A few years ago, the daughter-in-law of the former editor of a leading publication in Assam was admitted to GNRC hospital in Guwahati as she was suffering from convulsions. The examination and investigations could not pinpoint a particular reason. However, a staff nurse could reveal that a doctor in Delhi had prescribed her ‘DUODIL' a drug for muscle spasm and resultant pain and discomfort.
Because of the quality of handwriting, she was dispensed a drug ‘DAONIL', a medicine for diabetes, by the pharmacist in a pharmacy. She was taking it for a few days. This caused a sudden fall in her blood sugar levels, leading to the convulsions. Such a grave consequence was mainly due to the illegible handwriting of the doctor who treated her in Delhi.
SOLUTION:
Digitizing the patient records and prescriptions
In a country where digital India, e-governance, e-health, and e-pharmacies are running at a pace, it is high time handwritten prescriptions are banned. In January 2017, the Bangladesh High Court ordered the government to issue a circular asking doctor to write prescriptions clearly in block letters or print the prescriptions. In March 2018, the Ministry of Health and Prevention of UAE banned handwritten prescriptions and said prescriptions have to be in electronic or printed format.
In September 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital directed all doctors whether in government, public or private clinics, and hospitals to issue computer-generated prescriptions and not handwritten ones so that patients and their caregivers understand them.
