Why are prescriptions hand written?

Question

I'm just curious, in the day of technology everywhere and computers why are prescriptions hand written?
yesterday in the drug store pharmacy a pharmacist filled out a prescription for medication to be taken 2 times a day. The doctor wrote it for 4 times a day. Luckily because the guy engaged in some small talk with me and told me why he needed the medication the pharmacist caught the error. None of us could make out the letter that set this whole thing in motion. She ended up calling the doctor to get everything straight. I know some people have messy handwriting so why are prescriptions handwritten instead of typed?

this is at the drug store where I work. All prescriptions are handwritten except for the ones a dcotor calls in. I understand the paper needs to be from the doctor and a doctor needs to sign it but why can't the medicine and dosage instructions be typed?

Answer 1

Actually they are starting to use a system that comes from a small lap top the MD brings into the room, and they generate a prescription right there, and you pick it up as you leave. All Md's don't have them yet, but they are the up and coming thing. The great thing about them is that they can catch an interaction with any other meds you are taking.

Answer 2

Many Doctors need to move forward with the times.

My GP prints all his prescriptions off. The full details of the prescription are automatically recorded with my medical records and any errors can be seen before I leave the practice.

On one occasion he was going to prescribe me a dosage which was commonly used for treating a particular condition, but it had been recommended that I receive a different level. He was able to correct this this promptly.

As for the time to prepare the written prescription, I would argue that there is little, if any, difference once it has all been suitably setup. The prescription forms also have a 2nd part which I can keep as a record of what was prescribed.

The prescription still requires the Dr's signature, so forgery is still an issue, just as much as any other method. The Chemist will get to know the Dr's signature, but someone would still need to get hold of the right forms and a similar printer.

Answer 3

Prescriptions do NOT need to be hand written. They can be typed. I receive typed prescriptions from my pain doctor. The only exception is that the Rx MUST be signed in ink by the doctor and the date must be handwritten, NOT typed (not sure why). But, these are the rules. So, the answer to your question is that prescriptions do not need to be handwritten. Some doctors even have special Rx printers. I read that by 2010 all doctors will be forced to move to electronic records. Perhaps by then, these types of errors will be a thing of the past.

Answer 4

Because insurance companies and HMOs always try to pay less, doctors cannot afford to hire more secretaries to type prescriptions. On top of that, doctors have to work quickly or else the patients outside will have to wait even longer and they will be upset. In some big cities, the nurses earn more money than the doctors both in terms of take home pay and per hour. The nurses expect and receive yearly raises, while insurance companies and HMOs pay doctors the same or less each year. If you want to be absolutely certain next time, just ask the doctor how many times a day you need to take the medicine.

Answer 5

The Rx does not have to be handwritten but must be hand signed or co-signed if written by a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.

Many of us before residency had very good handwriting but got into a bad habit of writing sloppily because it was faster, and when you have 30+ patients to round on in less than 1 and a half hours you write as quickly as you can.

Let the doctor's office know (kindly) that you had a problem, and if it is a theme with many of the patients they may invest in a computer program or pre-printed scripts.

Good Luck with your health and happiness

Answer 6

They are actually moving to a system like what you are saying. Some possible future developments are that the dr's office will fax the prescription to the pharmacy on a secure fax line directly from the patients EMR (electronic medical record). This already happens in larger facilities (i.e. VA Hospitals) and would make the chance of patient tampering the prescription almost nothing.

Answer 7

Because it's important for the pharmacist to have the written doctors order, it's law in most states for it to be written for many drugs. A doctor has a license to prescribe medication to prevent abuse and his signature and handwriting are verified in case a question about where the prescription originated is called up.

Answer 8

I have Kaiser insurance, so the doctor always electronically sends my Rx's to the pharmacy. Then again, because it is Kaiser, the pharmacy and hospital are all in the same building. It does seem like it would be easier to send all Rx's electronically, but maybe they don't because of possible fraudulent prescriptions. How would you be able to authenticate every electronic prescription to the fullest? And I guess you can't really do that with written Rx's either...... that's a really good question!

Answer 9

I actually wonder if it's because the health care facilities in your area just haven't cottoned on fully to the IT age. In the UK, prescriptions are typed on specific NHS prescription paper (unless it is a hospital prescription that nurses will run up to pharmacy) and the doctors sign it. This is probably because we have a more universal health care system who are very worried about the fears of being sued due to incorrect medicine being administered thanks to poor doctors' handwriting.

Answer 10

My birth control prescription this year was actually typed instead of handwritten (by my NP, who has decent handwriting), so it is an option for them to type the prescriptions, but I know what you mean! My psychiatrist has the WORST handwriting! You'd think they would have started making medical students take penmanship classes.