Make Doctors Write Prescriptions in Capital Letters, Says BJP Lawmaker

New Delhi: You have heard this many times before: if your handwriting is not easily readable, you would be dubbed as someone whose writing looks like a doctor's prescription.

But do such illegible prescriptions put patients at risks? Yes, says Rajendra Agrawal, a two-term MP from Meerut.

In Lok Sabha today, Mr Agrawal argued that doctors often write prescriptions that are illegible and puts patients at risks. "As a result of poor handwriting, chemists are unable to read them properly and often sell medicines on guess work. And that is a clear threat to patients," said Mr Agrawal.

The MP had raised the issue under rule 377 where a member, if permitted by the Lok Sabha Speaker, can raise any issue concerning the Government of India.

Interestingly, this is an issue that has been examined in more developed parts of the world as well. A similar concern was flagged by a UK-based health watchdog, Care Quality Commission, which after examining the records of the Manchester Royal Infirmary, concluded that poor handwriting of doctors "were a matter of concern."

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A May 15th report in the Daily Mail quoted the Care Quality Commission as: 'We found many entries in the medical notes were illegible,' adding,"This meant there was risk to patients because staff had to consult with each other to decide what was written, and so the patient could receive the wrong treatment, and the record did not provide clear and unequivocal evidence of a patient's treatment pathway.'

Further, the Daily Mail said, "Recent NHS figures show that 11 people died in 2012 because of staff administering the wrong drugs or incorrect doses."

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In fact, wrong doses is also an issue that was raised by Mr Agrawal. "Doctors often give out dosage of medicines by drawing circles and that, at times, can be confusing," said Mr Agrawal.

So what's the way out?

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"I would urge the health ministry to direct all doctors to write prescriptions only in capital letters and also direct them to clearly specify the dosage," said Mr Agrawal. Elsewhere though, the debate in the medical fraternity is to digitize all records to do away with problems of poor handwriting.

Ironically, when Mr Agrawal raised the issue in Lok Sabha, the proceedings were chaired by a practicing doctor and Trinamool MP, Dr Ratna De.

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