Illegible Handwriting
Barbara M. Cook
HCA 375: Continuous Quality Monitoring & Accreditation
Illegible Physicians Handwriting
Jacqueline McClure
August 31, 2009
Introduction Illegible handwriting and transcription errors are responsible for as much as 61 percent of medication errors in hospitals. A simple mistake such as putting the decimal point in the wrong place can have serious consequences causing a patient 's dosage to be 10 times the recommended amount. This is a serious problem. Bad handwriting is the cause for many delays due the time spent in trying to decipher the Doctor’s order. This is a subject that has to be taken seriously to ensure continuous quality improvement. Failure to do so could eventually lead to death. So let us examine this topic of illegible handwriting; why is it an accepted practice to expect physician’s handwriting to be terrible? Is there an unwritten code-a self righteous chicken scratch that is decipherable only by experienced pharmacists and, with luck, by each other? The question of doctors ' handwriting has a serious side with implications concerning the quality and safety of health care. We often joke that if people have poor handwriting we may say “you write like a doctor.” This all may sound funny, but there is nothing funny about death resulting from poor penmanship or cacography. It is an issue that should have a federal mandate to ensure all medical personnel should be required to take a course in legible handwriting. In this paper I will explore some cases that resulted in death due to poor penmanship. We will also look at the positive effects of electronic charting verses handwriting, and in an effort to improve quality and safety. The current concern with medical error and patient safety has created a sense of urgency about information technology and for electronic charting. (Kaluzny & McLaughlin (2006).
Physicians’ orders can be confusing, especially if you have to spend time trying to
HCA 375: Continuous Quality Monitoring & Accreditation
Illegible Physicians Handwriting
Jacqueline McClure
August 31, 2009
Introduction Illegible handwriting and transcription errors are responsible for as much as 61 percent of medication errors in hospitals. A simple mistake such as putting the decimal point in the wrong place can have serious consequences causing a patient 's dosage to be 10 times the recommended amount. This is a serious problem. Bad handwriting is the cause for many delays due the time spent in trying to decipher the Doctor’s order. This is a subject that has to be taken seriously to ensure continuous quality improvement. Failure to do so could eventually lead to death. So let us examine this topic of illegible handwriting; why is it an accepted practice to expect physician’s handwriting to be terrible? Is there an unwritten code-a self righteous chicken scratch that is decipherable only by experienced pharmacists and, with luck, by each other? The question of doctors ' handwriting has a serious side with implications concerning the quality and safety of health care. We often joke that if people have poor handwriting we may say “you write like a doctor.” This all may sound funny, but there is nothing funny about death resulting from poor penmanship or cacography. It is an issue that should have a federal mandate to ensure all medical personnel should be required to take a course in legible handwriting. In this paper I will explore some cases that resulted in death due to poor penmanship. We will also look at the positive effects of electronic charting verses handwriting, and in an effort to improve quality and safety. The current concern with medical error and patient safety has created a sense of urgency about information technology and for electronic charting. (Kaluzny & McLaughlin (2006).
Physicians’ orders can be confusing, especially if you have to spend time trying to
References: Anita Slomski (2007, April). Could you read that? Medical Economics, 84(7), 68-70. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1274359811). Buchbinder, S.B. & Shanks, N.H. (2007). Introduction to health care management. 143- 147. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers Carol Hilton (2003, September). Legibility now the law. Medical Post, 39(32), 97. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 443683501). Dan Labenne (2005, August). Improving patient safety. Canadian Healthcare Manager, 12(4), 35. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry database. (Document ID: 890681991). Kaluzny, A. & McLaughlin, C. (2006). Continuous quality improvement in health care (3rd ed.) Maureen Glabman (2005, October). DEATH BY HANDWRITING. Trustee, 58(9), 29-32. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 913584571).