Physicians have clarified the reasons behind their often illegible handwriting on prescription notes, explaining that poor penmanship is not unique to doctors.
While many doctors admit they write quickly, they attribute the habit to their training in medical school, where they had to take notes in shorthand to keep up with fast-paced lectures.
In interviews with The PUNCH, several doctors acknowledged that reading some prescriptions can be a daunting task for patients, pharmacists, and even fellow physicians.
They stressed that although doctors’ handwriting is frequently discussed, other professionals also struggle with penmanship.
The Canadian Medical Association, in an article titled ‘Why Do Doctors Have Bad Handwriting’, noted that despite doctors’ high level of education and their attention to detail, their handwriting remains difficult to read.
The article explained that studies comparing the handwriting of various healthcare professionals, including doctors, hospital executives, and managers, found no significant differences in penmanship quality.
“When comparing a group of health care professionals, including hospital executives, clinicians, and managers, researchers didn’t find that doctors’ writing was any better or worse than others in the group,” the association said.
The association emphasized the importance of clear communication, whether written or emailed, so that patients fully understand their health status and treatment options.
A public health physician and epidemiologist, Dr. Japhet Olugbogi, explained that doctors’ fast writing stems from their desire to attend to many patients in a short time.
“Doctors work very busy schedules, sometimes with a high turnover of patients, and don’t like to see people waiting too long,” Olugbogi said.
He dismissed the misconception that doctors deliberately write illegibly to prevent patients from understanding their prescriptions.
According to him, the habit began in medical school due to the pressure to take notes rapidly.
“Because of this, our handwriting becomes very, very bad. There is a misconception that doctors intentionally write illegibly so that their patients cannot read it. No, that is not true. We do not do that.
“From personal experience, our handwriting gets bad because we are in a hurry to quickly finish what we have in mind. We are in a hurry to diagnose, treat a patient, and then move on to the next.
“It all started in medical school. There were so many things to copy, so many things to write down, and you had to keep up with lecturers dictating notes at high speed. We had to read a lot, write a lot, and cover so many pages within a short period of time. Because of that, our handwriting deteriorated,” Olugbogi explained.
According to a report by the Institute of Medicine, poor handwriting in prescriptions contributes to 1.5 million medication errors annually, leading to 7,000 deaths in the United States each year.
Consultant paediatrician Dr. Ayodele Renner believes it is an exaggeration to label doctors as having the worst handwriting among professionals.
He pointed out that other professions, such as law, also have individuals with challenging handwriting, but their work is less publicly scrutinized.
“Doctors often have to write quickly due to the high volume of patients they attend to daily. Taking time to write neatly could mean seeing fewer patients, which might not be practical.
“Some speculate that doctors deliberately write illegibly to prevent patients from self-medicating, but this is largely a myth. The stereotype that doctors intentionally write poorly is largely unfounded,” Renner said.
In Lagos, general practitioner Dr. Cindy Madu explained that doctors’ handwriting is primarily influenced by the need to write at speed.
“Sloppy handwriting doesn’t have to do with any particular profession. However, in medical school, things are usually done in a rush, but I can still tell you that there are several doctors whose writings are readable,” Madu said.
Family physician at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Dr. Laadi Swende, emphasized that messy handwriting is not exclusive to doctors and that physicians often write quickly due to work pressure.
“But because a layman doesn’t understand a doctor’s writing doesn’t make it illegible,” Swende noted.
“It is not good to generalize and say that all doctors have bad handwriting. Most medical prescriptions are difficult to read, but it shouldn’t be that way,” she concluded.
