Should penmanship be a mandatory course for physicians?

[DichloroacetateAl]

Does anyone here experience problems or difficulties deciphering a doctor's chicken scratch? I personally think that doctor should take a course on penmanship in college; it would our job easier. Their illegible writing puts patients at risk.

Question: Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what has been written on the order?

[Scarlette Wings]

Thanks to CMS regs in our area, our MDs have to go to CPOE which is computerized physician order entry.

It eliminates

1. messy scribbles and chicken scratch

2. the Doc can access and "write" orders from any PC, lap top, cell phone, so no more verbal orders and playing secretary fetching doctors order sheets, progress notes, or writing orders for them

3. errors because you cannot read the handwriting

4. having to call and get talked down to because you have to clarify the chicken scratch (which can get them hung up on with me)

5. doubt that they wrote the order and not anyone else.

I am sooooooo looking forward to t.

[Katie82, RN]

Another arguement for EMRs. But I'm willing to bet that the pharmacists that work with this doc regularly have no problem reading it, or they have a direct line to his office. I have worked with docs like this, and the really scary thing is that after a while, you learn to read it.