Doctors and and really ununderstandable handwriting

[RedAlert]

Why do doctors always have to write in such a way that you can barely read what is written? Is there some particular reason?

 

*Off topic posts are not minded in this thread*

[Obnoxious]

Because in America, all doctors, pharmicists, etc. are all working together under a top secret government conspiracy, in which the doctors don't actually prescribe the medication as you puny citizenry so believe, but just in fact scrawls on a peice of paper. The paper is then given to the pharmicist, who randomly selects a medicine and dosage for the sick man based upon overall price and coroporate demands from the coroporate American pigs in charge. The money from this "false" buisness goes towards the building of a massive laser gun on the moon, which will be used by the government as a inter-planetary weapon capable of either a small concentrated shot to eliminate one person, or a powerful solar beam enough to destroy a big city. This weapon would be the tomorrow's ICBM weaponry for the protection of the United States.

[RedAlert]

Because in America, all doctors, pharmicists, etc. are all working together under a top secret government conspiracy, in which the doctors don't actually prescribe the medication as you puny citizenry so believe, but just in fact scrawls on a peice of paper. The paper is then given to the pharmicist, who randomly selects a medicine and dosage for the sick man based upon overall price and coroporate demands from the coroporate American pigs in charge. The money from this "false" buisness goes towards the building of a massive laser gun on the moon, which will be used by the government as a inter-planetary weapon capable of either a small concentrated shot to eliminate one person, or a powerful solar beam enough to destroy a big city. This weapon would be the tomorrow's ICBM weaponry for the protection of the United States.

 

Wow they choose pretty correctly even if it is random...

[Dak]

Why do doctors always have to write in such a way that you can barely read what is written? Is there some particular reason?

evereewun nos that the moor intelijent yew are, the less gud at riting properlee yew ar.

[blike]

Is there some particular reason?

It's something that's picked up during medical school and perfected throughout their practice as a result of strict time constraints. So much to write, so little time.

[RedAlert]

It's something that's picked up during medical school and perfected throughout their practice as a result of strict time constraints. So much to write, so little time.

 

Oh! That makes sense.

[Obnoxious]

Mine made more sense...

>_>

[Glider]

It's something that's picked up during medical school and perfected throughout their practice as a result of strict time constraints. So much to write, so little time.

This is true. Doctors have to see so many patients in a day that any prescripion or pathology request they write tends to be scrawled.

 

It doesn't really save any time though. For example, if a phlebotomist can't read a pathology test request, s/he can't take the sample. The patient has wasted hours waiting for the test, and has to go back to the doctor for a new request form (if the doctor can't be contacted by phone, which they rarely can).

 

If the phlebotomist tries to help out, takes a guess at the test and gets it wrong, all hell breaks loose.

 

In the UK, it's mandatory that all drugs charts, pathology requests and prescriptions are written in block capitals. They never are though. I wish the doctors, as pushed for time as they are, would try to remember how dangerous it is to write such things unclearly.

[blike]

It doesn't really save any time though. For example, if a phlebotomist can't read a pathology test request, s/he can't take the sample. The patient has wasted hours waiting for the test, and has to go back to the doctor for a new request form (if the doctor can't be contacted by phone, which they rarely can).

Truely. It ends up being a "credit card" for time. They'll just end up being asked later about it. Some hospitals here are starting to move towards paperless prescriptions in which the doctor prescribes and charts on a computer. It will work nicely for both parties when it's perfected, but you know how long it takes to implement new technology into a system that's well established.

[Glider]

Oh yeah. I also know the odds of it working properly (do I sound cynical?)

[blike]

Oh yeah. I also know the odds of it working properly (do I sound cynical?)

Haha. Perhaps by the time I graduate it will be better implemented. That's probably wishful thinking though.

[Glider]

Yeah. A few of the doctors at the hospital I worked at developed their own word templates for pathology request forms though. They could just type the requests and then put the correct forms (haematology, chem. path. micro. etc.) into their printer and print out a batch of legible requests (yay!). Some worked better than others, but it did show that they recognised the need and were prepared to make the effort

[husmusen]

I agree.

If you guess, and get it wrong you'll be held to blame and not the scribbler.

 

In a few .au hospitals residents and doctors have to wear locators, you

can't switch these off or remove them as it is a sackable offense.

So if you need someone(in an emergency say), you know exactly

where to find them.

 

It's also quite useful for bearding the rotters in whichever den they

happen to be hiding in.

 

Ofcourse you can have a doctor who then takes the sheet

with his own handwriting, and looks at it, screws up his

eyes and says "I think it's 200mg," looks up into distance , "Yes,

I remember, it's 200".

I don't know why we bother writing medications down.

Just remembering dosage schedules of the top of your head

would be so much more convenient

 

We are also(in many places) moving into a system, where we use

PDA's that auto-dld measurements directly from the instruments, and then update it the next time you dock the PDA.

 

It also has the added benefit of preventing radar observations.

And when we get labs-on-a-stick, I can see those just fitting in straight

into the PDA which will function also as a reader.

 

But a more pertinent question, when you see a chart note in

cursive, which consists of a horisontal line with a few indifferent

humps in it, can you even call that writing? Of any form?

 

Cheers.

[RedAlert]

I agree.

If you guess' date=' and get it wrong you'll be held to blame and not the scribbler.

 

In a few .au hospitals residents and doctors have to wear locators, you

can't switch these off or remove them as it is a sackable offense.

So if you need someone(in an emergency say), you know exactly

where to find them.

 

It's also quite useful for bearding the rotters in whichever den they

happen to be hiding in.

 

Ofcourse you can have a doctor who then takes the sheet

with [b']his own[/b] handwriting, and looks at it, screws up his

eyes and says "I think it's 200mg," looks up into distance , "Yes,

I remember, it's 200".

I don't know why we bother writing medications down.

Just remembering dosage schedules of the top of your head

would be so much more convenient

 

We are also(in many places) moving into a system, where we use

PDA's that auto-dld measurements directly from the instruments, and then update it the next time you dock the PDA.

 

It also has the added benefit of preventing radar observations.

And when we get labs-on-a-stick, I can see those just fitting in straight

into the PDA which will function also as a reader.

 

But a more pertinent question, when you see a chart note in

cursive, which consists of a horisontal line with a few indifferent

humps in it, can you even call that writing? Of any form?

 

Cheers.

 

The PDA idea is pretty nice...what if you could make a program in which all that doctors would have to do is put in the patients disease/problem...and it comes up immediately with a list of medications suitable for the problem? The chosen medicine can than be sent directly to the pharmacy electronically. It would cut the hassle and save time.

[MolecularMan14]

Why do doctors always have to write in such a way that you can barely read what is written? Is there some particular reason?

 

*Off topic posts are not minded in this thread*

It's genetic. lol. All my life, I've been told that I have the hand-writing of a doctor. I'd prefer scientist's hand-writing, but I play with what I'm dealt :-D

[RedAlert]

It's genetic. lol. All my life, I've been told that I have the hand-writing of a doctor. I'd prefer scientist's hand-writing, but I play with what I'm dealt :-D

 

How does a scientist's handwriting look like?

[MolecularMan14]

I was being sarcastic...but not very well

I dont particularly want to be a physician. I'd much rather be thought of as a scientist

[In My Memory]

How does a scientist's handwriting look like?

Like this:

 

 

["Seht die Sterne, die da lehren

 

wie man soll den Meister ehren.

 

Jeder folgt nach Newtons Plan

 

Ewig schweigend seiner Bahn."]

 

The above sample is Albert Einstein, source here.

[RedAlert]

Oh I see.

[Bio-Hazard]

isn't it latin based short hand?

[Glider]

How very Monty Python.

[JohnB]

This is true. Doctors have to see so many patients in a day that any prescripion or pathology request they write tends to be scrawled.

Pardon me, but it's not true, it's an excuse.

 

Many other people in many other professions are also pressed for time yet they seem to be able to write legibly. For doctors to use the "lack of time" bit is nothing more than a cop out and a lame one at that. It would also show a great lack of interest in the welfare of the patients.

[Glider]

You should spend some time in a London hospital.

[JohnB]

I'll be controlling some 40-50 people and designing walls on the fly during the build of a show. My designs and dimensions are always legible. If they were not, there is the danger that a wall could fall and injure or kill someone.

 

I take it that injury or death to a patient is not really a consideration to a doctor?

 

At an inquest, the excuse that "I didn't have time to write legibly" would result in me being charged. Why shouldn't a doctor be held to the same standards that I am?

[Glider]

Well, doctors are sheilded by another layer of staff. The question "Why did you not write legibly" would be preceded by the question "Why did you follow a drugs chart you couldn't read?". I.e., the nurse is held accountable. Even if the writing is legible and the doctor writes the wrong dose. If the nurse administers the dose, s/he is accountable.