That doctor’s handwriting you’ve always wondered about does actually lead to death big time! And the jest surrounding their sloppy handwriting is age-old. So much so that you would be curious if the physician’s handwriting was neat and legible. However, it may not seem much until something as bad as death occurs: just because someone wasn’t able to read the prescription right!
Medscape India – an NGO that spearheads a campaign against the practice – has observed that the number of fatal accidents as a direct result of unreadable prescriptions is on the rise across the world. The Institute of Medicine even went ahead to give a more detailed perspective by releasing figures: astronomical figures given the deaths are simply due to carelessness. They noted that poor physician handwriting is responsible for 7,000 deaths every year.
In some countries such as the UAE, patients can ask for printouts of the prescription to avoid stupid accidents.