It’s a well-known fact that understanding prescriptions written by most doctors is not something everyone can easily do.
Whether you’re looking at a doctor’s prescription or reviewing their notes during an examination understanding them can be quite challenging.
In reality, some people even think that poor handwriting is a necessary part of becoming a doctor.
However, this notion is incorrect. Most doctors themselves admit that their handwriting is not the best making it difficult for people to understand their notes.
Reasons behind doctors poor handwriting
The reasons behind doctors poor handwriting are quite intriguing:
1.Heavy note-taking burden:
Doctors have to take extensive notes. In the medical field, everything needs to be documented meticulously. Recording a patient’s medical history and other details requires writing a lot and this daily task can strain their hands significantly.
2.Limited time:
According to Dr. Ruth Bruto of the Mercy Medical Center in the United States, if doctors write for 10 to 12 hours daily, it becomes challenging for their hands to bear the load. The quality of their handwriting deteriorates over time due to the strain on their hands.
3.Pressure to see more patients:
Doctors often spend a limited amount of time with each patient due to the sheer volume of patients they need to attend to. Consequently, they rush through their notes to accommodate more patients compromising the legibility of their handwriting.
4.Dependency on electronic records:
While the trend of electronic medical records is growing worldwide, some countries still heavily rely on handwritten notes. Transitioning to electronic records can alleviate the issue of poor handwriting but it requires significant investment and infrastructure.
5.Quick Diagnosis:
In the medical field, time is of the essence. Doctors often need to make quick diagnoses and decisions leaving them with less time to focus on perfecting their handwriting.
Solution on the horizon
Despite the challenges, there’s hope for improvement. In December 2022, Google announced a feature aimed at assisting in deciphering doctors handwriting.
Google Lens introduced a new tool designed to help understand doctors handwriting better. Although no further announcements have been made regarding this feature, it presents a potential solution to the long-standing issue of poor doctor handwriting.
While doctors poor handwriting may pose challenges for patients and pharmacists efforts are underway to address this issue and ensure clarity and accuracy in medical documentation.
