READING DR's WRITING QUESTION

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I had a web site a few weeks ago and thought I had saved it to my favorites list.It was a site letting you practice reading dr's notes. Anyway does anyone have any ideas of websites that help with read a dr's writing? I know there is at least one out there and I really need it to study!:)

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I had a web site a few weeks ago and thought I had saved it to my favorites list.It was a site letting you practice reading dr's notes. Anyway does anyone have any ideas of websites that help with read a dr's writing? I know there is at least one out there and I really need it to study!:)
Hey Jenn, cant help with the website, but will be monitering here for a reply by someone who does know. We did meds on clinical on tues and had to spend 45 minutes decipering the DR's handwriting so we could verify meds. A couple we were looking up were so bad, we looked up almost 10 meds before we found it. Is no wonder there are as many med errors as there are.

Have a Great Day

Jerry

P.S. First semester ADN here as well, and the Fall of 2006 seems so very far away LOL

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.
I had a web site a few weeks ago and thought I had saved it to my favorites list.It was a site letting you practice reading dr's notes. Anyway does anyone have any ideas of websites that help with read a dr's writing? I know there is at least one out there and I really need it to study!:)

I would not waste my time "practicing" reading Dr's handwriting. If I or another nurse can't read an order, I would call him up for clarification. In addition, I would be very nervous to be looking up 10 drugs for a "match." That sounds downright dangerous. If I can't read it, he's gettin' a phone call. If he doesn't like it than he/she should write more legibly.

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Specializes in Home Health Care,LTC.

I would have to agree with suemom2kay

Angelia

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ITA with the above. In addition to dangerous, I also find bad handwriting to be disrespectful. If the doctor expects me to waste MY time reading his/her illegible handwriting, I have no problem "wasting" HIS/HER time calling to clarify.

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.

Same advice here--

If you're researching a chart for clinical, ask the pt's nurse and/or the unit secretary for help. If they can't decipher it, the MD needs to be contacted for a "translation."

Illegible orders are just plain rude to the rest of the team and impact safe delivery of care. I so can't wait for electronic orders to become the norm! It's still a year or two away in the phase-in programs at most hospitals in my area, but it's a-comin'.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry.
ITA with the above. In addition to dangerous, I also find bad handwriting to be disrespectful. If the doctor expects me to waste MY time reading his/her illegible handwriting, I have no problem "wasting" HIS/HER time calling to clarify.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Do they think messy writing is a status symbol?!? :uhoh3:

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Suemom is right on the money with this one. In fact, they teach this as a part of the Avoiding Medication Errors course that is now mandatory for everyone in our program. If the order is not clear the nurse is NOT supposed to guess, even if he/she is used to the physician's handwriting. If guessing leads to a medication error management, the attorneys, and even the same doctor who wrote the order will all blame the nurse.

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