Why is it ugly?

[real dream]

Doctors' Handwriting. Why is it ugly? I really don't understand why doctors write in a way that we could not understand.
Doctors' sloppy handwriting kills 7,000 a year; national e-prescription campaign launched

One of the best jokes I had heard was about the girl who had to go to the chemist to decipher the letter written by her intern friend. Doctors and their God-only-knows handwriting had become a time tested combinations and a matter of many jokes. Is it really true or is it just a myth that doctors write horribly? Many studies suggest that doctors do write badly and the male fare worse than their female counterparts.

[real dream]

whyyyyyyyy

[hero.dz]

Salam alikoum
My syster real dream
my enlish isn't very clear but I will tell you why our write is very bad because I'm a doctor
but my write is very nice

[real dream]

. thnks but the topic is more serious



In fact a few days ago, our tutor told us that there was one case, a nurse was supposed to inject a particular amount of a particular drug, and the amount written by a doctor / nurse (can't remember) was like this:






What do you think that is? 99? 44? 77? 49?

The nurse injected 44 units of drug into the patient, and the patient died. It turned out it was supposedly 4u, or 4 unit of drugs. Having been given 11 times therapeutic dose of drug, the patient was literally killed by the doctor, or whoever who came up with that crappy handwriting.

[الفهد الأسود]

I heard that some MD's tend to write that way so people won't be able to tell what they have in case they have something serious. I mean, It doesn't have to be the same way with everyone. But maybe some really do it for that reason.

Cheers.

[real dream]

maybe u r right
thank you
i found other reasons. it os the topic of my B A project

[VampFreak]

المشاركة الأصلية كتبت بواسطة real dream

maybe u r right
thank you
i found other reasons. it os the topic of my B A project

Can you tell us what are these other reasons? Because I'm wondering now lol

[real dream]

ok i will bring it for you later

[be_fateh]

Thx was a good one
Actually it is just like a some kind of a Code
Doctor Chemist Code
xD

[gmail]

dear sis

i think the phenomenon of bad handwriting between doctors is a kinda contagion matter
yong doctors and medecin students usualy want to imitate their teachers and even the well known doctors , as the most easy way to do so is to write like them we find that any doctor who want to demonstrate that he is a real doctor write in some unread way

this is my point of view and waiting for your thorough reserch

[zahidxp]

i think that is true

[real dream]

Why do doctors write illegibly?
After asking doctors and pharmacist about the reasons which make doctors write unintelligibly, we discovered some reasons and they are as follow:
1. Some doctors claim that it is the time pressure coupled with other work stress that compel a doctor to write illegibly. Some doctors argue that they have so little time and are under so much stress that they can't possibly think how they write. But another study reveals that doctors don't really improve even when told to write slowly and neatly with ample time even for test purpose. And the same study said that it was the letters of the alphabet that were affected more compared than the numbers.
2. Some doctors say that in medical school they have to write a lot of things very quickly and it just becomes a really bad habit.
3. However others say that it becomes a skill.
4. other doc(doctors) that There are many generic names for medications that are incredibly similar so they can not remember the exact spelling for example they do not remember if the word is written with I or e ,so they write the word in some way not clear to do not show the mistake.
5. Sometimes the medicines’ names are too long so the docs write the first two or three letters legibly then Scrawl. Doctors use the same words over and over so it only takes one or two letters in context to recognize a specialized word.
6. Many also realize that what they write is not intended for the public to see, only for themselves and their peers.
7. Other docs say that it is better to abbreviate. It's much faster to write for example:’ SOB' than 'shortness of breath’. Some other common abbreviations are:
· NAD: no acute distress.
· CAD: coronary artery disease.
· HBP: hypertension.
· GERD: gastro-esophageal reflux disease.
· CP: chest pain.
· PUD: peptic ulcer disease.

[real dream]

Analysing handwriting in medical records:
Sheila Kurtz claimed that many docs are more comfortable talking and not listening. Many handwriting samples demonstrate this trait by the open o's and a's within words. Among other findings about physicians from the Pilot Pen/Graphology Consulting Group handwriting report are the characteristics of medical specialists:
· Cardiologists: fast thinkers, open-minded, positive high energy.
· Neurologists -- forward thinkers, quick, interested, intuitive and "elegant."
· Orthopedic surgeons: Surprisingly, only 15% display handwriting signs that indicate manual dexterity.
· Anesthesiologists: Clear thinking, objective, not impulsive -- good traits for the operating room.
"Doctors tend not to recognize their personal traits because they are too preoccupied with evaluating and fixing those belonging to other people," Ms. Kurtz says. "Handwriting analysis is a means for physicians to get to know themselves better and a vast majority of them in our data base were amazed to see how accurately their handwriting describes them."
One of the doctors that we have visited claims that he has three writing styles. One is artistic and legible, the second is legible but occasionally a little messier, and finally he has the doctor chicken scratch. “Why do I "choose" to write messily?” he says. He argued that doctors may be in a time crunch, usually not rushed, but mentally, writing takes on less importance than other things going on at the time. Even if docs are not in a hurry, they immediately place the importance of a legible signature, etc. below that of a patient's time, the patient waiting in the next room and the much more important (to them at the time) of putting all their energy into diagnosis and treatment concerns. However, an.Other graphologist also analyzes this phenomenon sees that Handwriting experts across the world have established that consistent illegible handwriting is indicative of a subconscious inclination to be careless, negligent and sloppy towards the person for whom it has been written. Therefore, if a doctor writes illegibly for his patients, it means he is inconsiderate to the recipients of the prescriptions. It’s like an attitude imprinted on the paper, which could be roughly put into words in the following manner: “I don’t care whether you are able to read it or not; I don’t care whether you get well or not; I am sitting here doing my job the way I like, in my own style. How much you will be benefited from my skills is your problem and I am not going to be least bothered about what happens to you after you leave this cabin. Just pay the fee to my assistant and get out…” he says. That is what illegible handwriting means. This attitude among some doctors emanates from the realization of a power to effect changes in an individual’s physical existence. The power is extraordinary and very few can handle it with ease and without losing their sanity. No doubt some doctors are as fallible as any other humans and they argue that they write illegibly because they are in haste and they have to attend to many patients. Now, we have a serious problem with this argument. According to this graphologist this argument is a complete hogwash. On an average, a doctor does not write more than 40 words on a prescription. Let’s assume that they take about three minutes to write a prescription in illegible handwriting. But if they wrote legibly, maybe they would take four minutes. The difference is just about 60 seconds. “Doc, do you really want me to believe that you write illegibly because you are too busy to spare 60 seconds? Sorry, sir, give me another one. If you consistently write illegibly for your patients, it shows your carelessness and inconsideration.” He says. Let us take an example from Chlef to prove this. A doctor by profession, used to write illegibly while writing prescriptions, but she showed amazing clarity in handwriting when she wrote personal letters. Every time she wrote to her dear family members, she wanted to show her caring nature. And she used to show that through clarity in her handwriting. Do you see a clearer picture now? Haven’t all of us experienced that we become concerned about legibility while writing on greetings cards or love cards? Have you ever thought why? We are sure you got your answer now: legibility, graphology says, is a subconscious way to show care.
When visiting other tow doctors, an eye doctor and women’ and infants’ specialists. They had the clearest writing .they explained everything willingly, in great detail and with an anticipatory overview of future possibilities. They were marvellous doctors. We had quite a discussion about handwriting. Hers confirmed not only their analytical skill but their willingness and ability to explain complex things simply.
Some doctors deny that handwriting analysis can reveal their personalities and say that they write differently all the time, the graphologist Mc Nichol says that though a person may write with several different styles, it is readily apparent to the graphologist that all the handwritings were written by the same person. Even though the appearance of handwriting may be quite different at various times, the basic personality structure remains the same. A friend of yours may show up at work with newly dyed hair and wearing a brand new outfit, but you still know who she is...she adds that an illegible handwriting Can be analyzed. Legibility is only one feature of graphic movement. Size, placement, pressure, spacing, etc., are also a part of any handwriting and thus the fact that the words themselves are not readable does not mean that there is nothing to analyze. Further, graphicmovementisassessedand not *******.
When it comes to drug errors, physicians have traditionally received most of the blame. Because physicians choose most medications, write the prescription and sign it, they are the ones who take the fall when things go wrong. One problem in preventing drug errors is that the existing data are imprecise. "No one really knows how many drug errors are being made," said Brian Strom, FACP, a pharmacologic epidemiology specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. "There's not even a reliable definition of what constitutes an error. Dr. Strom explained that while data on sentinel events are collected, no one is gathering more basic data on how often drug errors cause patients to suffer. "Your prescribing practices may be hurting your patients daily," he said, "and you may not even be aware of it. “That’s why a number of organizations are busy building systems to analyze drug mistakes and help doctors avoid making more. In 1995, for example, the United States Pharmacopeia Convention (USP) created the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention. The goal is to address interdisciplinary causes of drug errors and promote safe use of medications.
As an important first step, the group established the Medication Error Index, which is a framework that links the type of medication error by severity and patient result. The index is significant because it shifts the focus of preventing drug errors away from individual practitioners. "Finger-pointing when a drug has been misprescribed isolates the individual practitioner," said Jerry Phillips, RPh, from the FDA's Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research. "We've discovered there are so many variables in health care that it's usually not a single individual who makes a prescribing error, but a multitude of contributing factors. “Some of the efforts to create safer systems, however, are focusing on physicians. Boston's Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has already had limited success in reducing drug mistakes by developing strategies that physicians can use. IHI's Collaborative on Reducing Adverse Drug Events and Medical Errors, a collaboration of 40 health care organizations, has reduced drug errors by 30% in those organizations. Successful strategies included increasing light and decreasing clutter in areas where prescriptions are written, reducing time pressures on physicians, adequately training personnel and repeating verbal orders.
Scrawling US doctors are being helped to smarten up their handwriting at evening seminars amid fears of litigation. Around 70 doctors have so far attended the classes, run by handwriting experts, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. Tempted by the promise of a buffet, the doctors were taught how to make their unreadable script more acceptable to nurses, and other doctors. ****don Brotman a veteran physician subscribed in a handwriting class at Atlantic City Medical Center, in order to learn how to hold his pen, position his paper and put a sharp angle on his "z" so it doesn't look like an "s." "My signature is always a problem down at the pharmacy," Brotman said. Unfortunately non of the doctors that we have visited said that he was thinking to improve his handwriting.

[real dream]

this is just a part of my research
thanks for those who are interested
good luck

[gmail]

thank you! happy to learn something new