Why do almost all doctors have HORRIBLE handwriting?

Question

You can hardly read the prescriptions they give you. No wonder there are so many problems with pharmacies handing a patient the wrong drugs!

Answer 1

Its a combination of the amount of times written per day AND preventing forgery!

Answer 2

component to the handwriting difficulty is that medical college is so severe that taking notes very at as quickly as reasons them to apply shortcuts like no longer dotting 'i's or crossing 't's. Then it strikes to no longer doing all the curves while writing an "ing" on a be conscious and it will truthfully turns right into a as we communicate line. After a on a similar time as, they get so used to scribbling each and everything that it merely turns right into a habit. Nurses who could transcribe their orders continually choose they could merely decelerate. yet yet another massive component to the handwriting difficulty, from a affected person's viewpoint, is that lots of what they write is in a medical jargon in line with abbreviations of LATIN words. case in point: Rx: Maalox iii tsp, PO QID, AC & HS Even typed, till you be attentive to the abbreviations, you may never be attentive to that this suggests "take 3 teaspoons of Maalox via mouth, 4 cases in line with day, in the past food and at bedtime." this is no longer basically HOW they write, yet additionally WHAT they write.

Answer 3

They picked up bad handwriting in pre-med courses. That habit was reinforced by the pressure of med school, and then their internship.

Some of them have taken the time to learn to write legibly again. There are a few people who make a comfortable living teaching doctors how to write legibly.

Answer 4

Dukalink6000 has it about right. In the UK most doctors now have computerized systems that allow them to print out prescriptions.

Another reason is probably because junior doctors in training work incredibly long hours. I've worked in hospitals and known junior doctors who haven't slept properly for up to five days. In that state the last thing they have to worry about is developing neat handwriting.

Answer 5

Because they are in a hurry and they don't care generally. They want to get you in and out I think. Maybe they write so fast because they have had to write so many prescriptions that they have just adapted.

Answer 6

So unsrupulas people can't copy thier signature and get drugs is one theory and yet another is they are all failures at penmanship and yet another is they just don't care. Another is they have God like complexes and the rules don't apply to them. Either one you pick though, something should be done.

Answer 7

They don't. Because of the reputation, they fake bad writing to look so busy you won't try to bother them with phone calls. You'll take your medicine and go home and cry. They'll see another patient and make more dough.

Answer 8

Because the patients keep accepting their prescriptions.

Answer 9

they are in a hurry and must be quick can't spend so much time on writing.or there are lots of medicine maybe they can't remember the whole name just write the beginning.but chemists understand the writing that's more interesting I think

Answer 10

So nobody can forge their signature. Some Drs. have pre-printed
RX pads so all they have to do is sign their name & the pharmacist can read the RX.