Doctors handwriting

[bluestar776]

I am going into RN but I have taken other healthcare programs and sometimes I found the Doctors handwriting wasn't legible. I thought maybe it was just me, but my clinical instructors also sometimes had problems reading some of the writing.

I am worried about this for patient safety i'm wondering if this happens alot with nurses and doctors handwriting.

[Triddin]

If you can't read it or you questionwhat you've interpreted, you call the doc to clarify. If they get annoyed remind them that it was their writing which made you call

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

It's definitely a significant problem. And some physicians will try to rip you to shreds when you ask them to clarify. So start growing that thick skin now. Until every aspect of our world goes digital, we're going to have to be experts in hieroglyphics. I worked as a pharmacy technician in a retail pharmacy for several years before I went into nursing so I'm pretty good at deciphering chicken scratch - one local dermatologist had the WORST penmanship ever, but sometimes even I'm baffled.

[wheresthecharge]

Slowly but surely... some places are getting software that allows physicians to type orders rather than write them. So its about advocating for this if your place of work does not have this already.