Why are prescriptions illegible

The temptation to simply proceed after making an educated guess is very strong and it makes the pharmacist and his or her employer liable if the patient is injured due to dosing or medication errors. There are multiple new systems and apps available for doctors and pharmacies to help ensure that prescriptions can be delivered in a legible manner.

These technologies include apps that doctors can input prescriptions into which will automatically translate the information into multiple languages so that anyone can access the information and understand it. In addition to eliminating illegible handwriting as a factor, these apps allow pharmacists to obtain lists of generic equivalents and alternatives which will help keep patient costs down so that they can afford their treatment.

Using computers to issue prescriptions makes much more sense now than to continue scribbling chicken scratch on a pad and hoping that pharmacists can translate the writing.

More doctors are choosing to implement electronic prescription programs as a result, and patients experience greater convenience as a result. In many cases, prescriptions can be sent to the pharmacy and filled before the patient arrives. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, medication errors have become one of the leading causes of injuries and death in the United States.

This capability could one day reach the practice mainstream. Voice recognition software may one day allow physicians to dictate prescriptions onto the handheld, but will require voice imprint recognition for security. Skip to main content. Evidence-Based Reviews. Handhelds: A cure for illegible prescriptions?

Current Psychiatry. By John Luo, MD. PDF Download. Why a handheld? Caveats Use of handhelds entails hardware, software, and monthly service costs. The future Technology is addressing the need to reduce prescription errors in other ways. Pages 1 2 last ». Next Article: Managing polypharmacy: Walking the fine line between help and harm.

Business of Medicine. Doctors who handwrite prescriptions are notorious for poor handwriting. Whether it is the result of being rushed or the constant writing of prescriptions, this type of prescription error is usually preventable. Illegible handwriting can lead to the patient being given the wrong medication. This can prove to be a devastating consequence, leading someone to face serious or life-threatening injuries.