In brief
In a landmark ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court emphasized that legible handwriting on medical prescriptions is crucial for patient safety, deeming it a fundamental right. Justice Puri highlighted the alarming trend of unreadable prescriptions during a case where a doctor's incomprehensible report was deemed unacceptable. The court mandated the inclusion of handwriting lessons in medical education and urged the adoption of digital prescriptions within two years, thus addressing the prevalent issue of doctors’ poorly written notes that can lead to serious health risks.
At a time when most people use keyboards to write, does handwriting really matter?
Yes, say Indian courts, if the writer is a doctor.
Jokes around the notoriously bad handwriting of many doctors that can only be deciphered by pharmacists are common in India, as around the world. But the latest order emphasising the importance of clear handwriting came from the Punjab and Haryana High Court which stated that 'legible medical prescription is a fundamental right' as it can make a difference between life and death.
The court order arose from a case unrelated to writing that involved allegations of rape, cheating, and forgery by a woman. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri was reviewing the man's bail petition when he encountered a medico-legal report written by a government doctor that he found incomprehensible, stating that 'it shook the conscience of this court as not even a word or a letter was legible.'
The court directed the government to include handwriting lessons in medical school curricula and set a two-year timeline for digitized prescriptions. Until then, all doctors are required to write prescriptions clearly in capital letters.
Dr Dilip Bhanushali from the Indian Medical Association acknowledged the challenge of poor handwriting caused by heavy workloads, particularly in crowded government hospitals. He emphasized the readiness of doctors to comply with government guidelines for clearer prescriptions.
This ruling is not an isolated incident; past cases have shown similar concerns regarding doctors' handwriting. Despite existing orders from years past, the prevalence of poorly written prescriptions persists, often leading to dangerous consequences.
In India, where misreading medical prescriptions can result in dire health emergencies, the court's mandate serves as a significant step towards ensuring patient safety and reducing medical errors attributed to illegible handwriting.
