Nursing & Healthcare Directories on: The Nurse Friendly
Illegible Handwriting, Physician's Penmanship, Direct Patient Care

The Shortcut URL To This Section Is: http://www.nursefriendly.com/illegible

Nursing Topics, A to Z, Search Our Site or The Internet:

---

Nursing Degrees, LPN-RN, RN-BSN, RN-MSN, Associate, Bachelors, Masters and more!

---

Free Nursing E-mail, Check Your Mail

---

Nursefriendly.com (homepage) About Us Add URL Contact Us Gifts For Nurses Linking Policy Privacy Policy Search Our Sites Top Nursing Topics: A to Z Nursing Topics About Nursing: Certified Nursing Assistants, CNAs Disabled Nurses Impaired Nurses LPNs, LVNs Registered Nurses Advanced Practice Nurses Clinical Nurse Specialists Nurse Practitioners Ask The Nurse Associations (Nursing) Authors (Nursing) Boards of Nursing Burnout (Nursing) Businesses (Nurse-Owned) Brainteasers Care Plans (Nursing) Careers In Nursing Case Studies (Malpractice) CEUs (Nursing) Commonly Used Drugs Chat (Nursing) Clothes (Nursing) Colleges (Nursing) Consultants, Nursing Current Events, Nursing News Degrees in Nursing Discussions (Nursing) Drugs (Commonly Used) Education (Nursing) Employment (Nursing) Entrepreneurs (Nurse) Equipment (Medical) Forensic Nursing Gifts For Nurses Going Shopping Health & Wellness Health Insurance Healthcare Unions, Nursing Unions, Organized Labor History of Nursing Hospitals, Medical Centers Informatics Nurses Intravenous (IV) & Infusion Therapy Jobs in Nursing Jokes (Nursing) Journals (Nursing) Legal Nursing Consultants, LNCs Long Term Care, Nursing Homes Male Nurses Malpractice Cases Medical Centers, Hospitals Medical Equipment Medical Humor, Nursing Jokes Men in Nursing Nurse Training Nurse Entrepreneurs Nursing Associations Nursing Authors Nursing Burnout Nursing Care Plans Nursing Careers Nursing (CEUs) Nursing Boards Nursing Clothes, Scrubs, Uniforms Nursing Colleges, Schools Nursing Consultants Nursing Degrees Nursing Discussions Nursing Education Nursing Employment Nursing Entrepreneurs Nursing Gifts Nursing Homes, Long Term Care Nursing Informatics Nursing Jobs Nursing Jokes, Medical Humor Nursing Journals Nursing History Nursing Malpractice Cases Nursing News Nursing Pay Nursing Programs Nursing Refresher Courses Nursing Research Nursing Resumes Nursing Salaries Nursing Scholarships Nursing Schools, Colleges Nursing Scrubs, Uniforms Nursing Shoes Nursing Shortage Nursing Stories Nursing Students Nursing Uniforms Nursing Unions, Organized Labor, Healthcare Unions Nursing Wages Paychecks (Nursing) Prescription Drug Indexes Puzzles, Quizzes Relocation Resources Refresher Courses Research (Nursing) Resumes (Nursing) Salaries (Nursing) Scholarships (Nursing) Schools of Nursing Scrubs, Nursing Uniforms Shoes (Nursing) Shopping (Going) on the Internet Shortage (Nursing) State Nursing Boards Student (Nursing) Training (Nursing) Traveling Nurses Uniforms, Scrubs, Nursing Unions (Nursing), Organized Labor, Healthcare Unions Wages (Nursing) Work At Home Opportunities

Doctors Penmanship Sickening - Study:"London - A new study has confirmed what most people already know: Doctors have terrible handwriting. "The age old prejudice people have about doctors' handwriting is actually true," Ronan Lyons, a doctor with the Department of Public Health in Swansea, said in a telephone interview Friday." http://www.edmontonjournal.com/weird/093098weird.html ****************************************************** Deciphering illegible handwriting (1): causes and solutions to deciphering illegible handwriting, International Journal of Forensic Document Examiners:"An important aspect of the forensic examination of documents is deciphering or transcribing illegible handwriting in order to comprehend the contents of the document. This is more often required in the case of wills in which the handwriting may be extremely deformed/degraded due to the psychosomatic condition of elderly or sick people. The main methods of deciphering are: the photographic magnifying of the text, microscopic examination, the use of video spectral comparator and scanning by means of a computer. This paper demonstrates some representative cases." http://static.highbeam.com/i/internationaljournalofforensicdocumentexaminers/january011999/decipheringillegiblehandwriting1causesandsolutions/ ****************************************************** The handwriting is on the wall for nation's doctors. Penmanship classes helping to make prescriptions legible:"He's a veteran physician who works as a trauma surgeon. Just don't ask Dr. Sheldon Brotman to write a legible prescription. That's why he's here, sitting in a handwriting class at Atlantic City Medical Center, learning how to hold his pen, position his paper and put a sharp angle on his "z" so it doesn't look like an "s." "My signature is always a problem down at the pharmacy," Brotman said." http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/docs05.shtml ****************************************************** Illegible handwriting in medical records, F Javier Rodríguez-Vera MD:"In clinical records many items are handwritten and difficult to read. We examined clinical histories in a representative sample of case notes from a Spanish general hospital. Two independent observers assigned legibility scores, and a third adjudicated in case of disagreement. Defects of legibility such that the whole was unclear were present in 18 (15%) of 117 reports, and were particularly frequent in records from surgical departments." http://www.jrsm.org/cgi/content/abstract/95/11/545 ****************************************************** Illegible Handwriting Strikes Again ... by John Dodge, Health-IT World:"There's no shortage of snafu stories in healthcare when it comes to illegible handwriting. The experience I am about to relate was but an annoyance, but I can certainly see where it could repeat itself thousands of times every day across the vast landscape of American healthcare. Undoubtedly, illegible handwriting is one of the major causes of inefficiency when tests or prescriptions are ordered." http://www.health-itworld.com/enewsarchive/e_article000216777.cfm ****************************************************** In the long run, penmanship classes for doctors won't do much for patient safety, Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP):"With the nation's attention now focused on patient safety issues, television and print journalists frequently cover stories about medical errors. Often, medication errors caused by poor physician handwriting are a common theme. While jokes and cartoons still flourish about illegible prescriptions, the public is personally familiar with this problem, and it is no longer considered a joking matter. Recently, national television networks and wire services have reported a number of efforts that are underway at hospitals across the country to bring doctors back to the classroom for courses in basic penmanship. While we applaud hospitals that seek to improve handwriting through these courses, we fear that such actions will achieve only marginal improvement at first and even less sustained improvement over time." Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) 1800 Byberry Rd., Suite 810 Huntingdon Valley, Pa. 19006 Voice: 215.947.7797 Fax: 215.914.1492 E-Mail: ismpinfo@ismp.org http://www.ismp.org/MSAarticles/handwriting-class.html ****************************************************** Prescription Mistakes:"Poor legibility of doctors' handwriting may lead to prescription errors and problems with referral letters. Using computer technology to assess handwriting in an objective manner, a British survey compared doctors' handwriting with that of administrative staff and other healthcare professionals. Participants were asked to complete a form that contained boxes for the respondent's name, the 26 letters of the alphabet, and the digits 0-9. They were told that examples of handwriting were needed to test computer software for optical character recognition and were asked to write as neatly as possible" http://132.183.145.103/forum_2/PorphyriaF/12.16.998.36PMPRESCRIPTIO.html ****************************************************** Why is handwriting important? Prescription for Safety, American College of Physicians:"Physicians' handwriting is a source of endless jokes, but illegible orders are no laughing matter. Illegible handwriting on prescriptions takes extra time to interpret, and pharmacist callbacks result in lost time to the practitioner. Tragically, illegible handwriting is a common cause of medical error and has led to patient injury and death. According to a 1997 American Medical Association report, errors related to misread prescriptions were the second most common and expensive malpractice claim over a seven-year period.2" http://www.acponline.org/ptsafety/faq.htm ****************************************************** ****************************************************** Nursing Topics, A to Z: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z If your website is not listed here, we encourage you to submit it: Add Your Website/URL. See also: Nursing Degrees, LPN-RN, RN-BSN, RN-MSN, Online/Offline College, University and more!:"Higher income. Career mobility. Now, no matter where you live or what your schedule, you can earn your Associate or Bachelor Degree to take your professional life to the next level — without putting the rest of your life on hold!" If you do any Browsing or Windowshopping online, please visit our online Mall: http://www.nursefriendly.com/shopping/ Gifts For Nurses: http://www.nursefriendly.com/gifts/ 4nursinguniforms.com:"Choose from Top Nursing Uniform Companies. All sizes, styles and popular name brands available. Large selection of accessories as well: Accessories Blood Pressure Cuffs, Sphygnomanometers Nursing Tote Bags, Carry-Ons, Medical Bags Clinical, Medical Supplies, Nurses Discount Outlet: Angels, Books, Clothing , Equipment, Figurines, Holidays, Home Decor, Jewelry, Nurses, Office Decor, Scrubs, Shoes, T-Shirts Footwear, Shoes, Sandals, Discount, Bargains Gifts For Nurses (Nurses Week) Hosiery, Socks, Stockings Hats, Jackets, Jumpers Jewelry, Earrings, Necklaces, Watches Luxury Spas, Facials, Manicures, Pedicures Perfumes, Fragrances, Phermones Shoes, Boots, Sandals, Footwear, High Heels, Slippers Stethescopes, Nurse Kits, Replacement Parts Swimwear (Tan-Through) Women's Lingerie " 4nursinguniforms.com Nurses' Station:"The idea for the Nurses' Station Catalog was conceived in 1989. After searching the marketplace in response to customer inquiries, it became obvious that there were no catalogs of this type serving the nursing profession. To be sure, there were several catalogs offering nurse's uniforms and a smattering of professional items. But there weren't any catalogs at the time offering a range of gifts, clothing, professional items, name badges, shoes and scrubs for nurses. It took two years of hard work to gather samples and put a together a catalog of the most unique and high-quality items for nurses." Nurses Station P.O. Box 388 Centerbrook, CT 06409-03881 http://www.nursefriendly.com/station/ Choose Nursing Uniforms, Shoes, Scrubs, Accessories By Brand: Accessories Nursing Carry-Ons, Medical Bags, Clinical, Medical Supplies, Footwear, Shoes, Sandals, Discount, Bargains Gifts For Nurses (Nurses Week) Hats, Jackets, Jumpers Jewelry, Earrings, Necklaces, Watches Luxury Spas, Facials, Manicures, Pedicures Perfumes, Fragrances, Phermones Shoes, Boots, Sandals, Footwear, High Heels, Slippers Stethescopes, Nurse Kits, Replacement Parts Swimwear (Tan-Through) Women's Lingerie Surprised? eBay Has Nursing Supplies, scrubs, uniforms, stethescopes, etc.:"You can find nursing supplies right here! With over 5 million items for sale every day, you'll find the nursing supplies you're looking for at the world's online marketplace - eBay!" http://www.nursefriendly.com/ebay/ Nursing In The Media, truthaboutnursing.org ER:"Media products under your influence, particularly the NBC/Warner drama "ER," are harming the profession of 2.7 million American nurses by giving the public an inaccurate and inadequate account of what nurses really do to save and improve lives. Research suggests that "ER" strongly and negatively influences the way children view nursing. These products contribute to the nursing shortage, a public health crisis that threatens millions worldwide." http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/er/ House, MD:"The main patient in tonight's episode of Fox's House was a nurse who believed that a cat tended to sit with those who were about to die--including, recently, the nurse herself. That may not sound like a promising vehicle for House to improve its abysmal portrayal of nursing. But the show actually presents the nurse as someone with health knowledge. And her search for meaning in faith, for some reason in tragic events, is a real counterpoint to House's cold rationality. Indeed, despite the obvious potential for mockery in the cat angle, the mighty House treats the nurse with considerable respect--he seems to care what she thinks, or at least to find her views unnerving. Of course, the nurse plays no real clinical role in the episode, and no other nurses do either. So the episode suggests, as usual, that physicians provide all important care in hospital settings, including all meaningful psychosocial and physical care. Still, any suggestion that intelligent life resides in a nurse is a welcome departure for House (and for the episode's writer Peter Blake, who also penned a November 2005 House episode that was notable for its physician glorification and its casual contempt for other health professions). Tonight's episode, "Here Kitty," drew 13.1 million U.S. viewers. more... see the relevant film clips... and please join our letter writing campaign!" http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/house/ Private Practice:"ABC's Private Practice, whose season ends tomorrow, April 30, may be the only broadcast network show with a major nurse character to return next season. In the February 5 episode (Mike Ostrowski's "Acceptance," 13 million U.S. viewers), lone nurse character Dell Parker, who is studying to be a midwife, shows some tentative clinical aptitude and knowledge to go with his boyish eagerness. Under the close supervision of OB/GYN Addison Montgomery, Dell ably performs a vacuum-assisted delivery. Later he haltingly guides the baby's parents toward breastfeeding. Dell also performs an assured solo ultrasound of pregnant psychiatrist Violet Turner, calming her panic attack and eliciting her agreement to his own suggestion that, though he's "not a doctor," he will likely become a "pretty good midwife." The show still condescends to Dell, who is also the office manager/receptionist at the LA clinic where the show is set. In the March 26 episode (Craig Turk's "Do the Right Thing," 10.1 million U.S. viewers)," http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/pp/ "Scrubs" defines nursing:""Scrubs" defines nursing: it's all about shutting up and following physician "orders. " Tonight's episode of NBC's "Scrubs," which purports to teach nurse Carla Espinosa that nursing is all about doing what physicians tell you, is one of the most virulently anti-nurse prime time television episodes the Center has ever seen. more..." http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/news/2009/may/06_scrubs.html To subscribe to our: Nurse Friendly Notes Newsletter: Send a blank e-mail to: nursefriendlynotes-subscribe@topica.com http://www.nursefriendly.com Nursing Jokes, Medical Humor, Jokes to make you laugh and smile all day. Send a blank email to: nursingjokes-subscribe@topica.com http://lists.topica.com/lists/nursingjokes/ Clinical Nursing Cases: Send a blank message to: clinicalnursingcases-subscribe@topica.com http://www.nursingcasestudy.com Inspirational Stories: Send a blank e-mail to: inspirationalstories-subscribe@topica.com http://www.inspirationalnursing.com Nursing Chat, Nurse Discussion Forums: http://nursingdiscussions.com Alphabetical Nursing Topic Discussion, Chat List Are good CNA jobs that hard to find? Being A Male Nurse Curtailing Workplace Gossip Dealing With Confrontation In Nursing Degree Vs Diploma EKG Classes First Year On The Floor Horror Stories -- working short staffed How Many Hours A Week Do You Work Impaired Nurses Liability Question for Experienced Nurses LPN vs. RN vs. BSN, etc... Male Nurses Mandatory BSN to practice nursing being considered Mean Age of RNs Military Nursing More Foreign Nurses, Is It A Plot? Nurse Entrepreneurs Nurses Aides, Can't Live With Them. . . Nurses In Recovery: Nursing & Adult ADD Put Male Nurses In Panties Rude Doctors Specialty Nursing Staff Nurses Tattoos In The Workplace The Nursing Shortage, Your Opinions To Stay In Nursing or Not Travel Nurses Talk Travel Nursing Workplace Violence, Horizontal Violence Against Nurses ****************************************************** Commonly (Frequently) Used Drugs Medication Indexes: http://www.prescriptionforviagra.com Ace Inhibitors (Hypertension) AIDS/HIV Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Human Immunodficiency Virus, Antiviral Agents Anti Angiogenesis (Chemotherapy) Antibiotics Allergy Relief, Antihistamines, Decongestants, Sinus Congestion, Runny Nose, Prescription Drugs, Medications Anti-Coagulants, Blood Thinners Anti-depressants Anxiety Medications Appetite Enhancers, Appetite Stimulants, Appetite Stimulation Antibiotics Anticoagulants, Blood Thinners, Drug Therapy Antiviral Agents, HIV, AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Human Immunodficiency Virus Appetite Control, Obesity, Weight Loss, Diet Pills Appetite Supressants, Diet Pills, Weight Loss, Weight Control Barbiturates, Hypnotics, Sedatives Benzodiazepines Birth Control Pills, Contraception, Drug & Medication Indexes Blood Thinners, Anticoagulants, Drug Therapy Calcium channel blockers Chemo, Antineoplastics, Chemotherapy, Anticancer, Oncology, Prescription Drugs, Medications Cardiac, Coronary, Heart Drugs, Medications Cholesterol Lowering Drugs, Anti Hyper Lipidemics, Prescription Drugs, Medications Contraception, Birth Control Pills, Drug & Medication Indexes Controlled Substances, Narcotic Analgesics, Opiates, Opioids, Convulsions, Convulsants, Epilepsy, Epileptics, Seizures Diet Pills, Weight Loss, Obesity, Appetite Control Fluoroquinolones (Antibiotics) Gastrointestinal, GI, Ulcers, Heartburn, GERD, Indigestion Prevention Prescription Drugs, Medications Hair Loss, Mens Health, Impotence, Obesity, Smoking Cessation Hypnotics, Sedatives, Barbiturates Impotence, Hair Loss, Mens Health, Obesity, Smoking Cessation Laxatives, Physic, Cathartics Mens Health, Hair Loss, Impotence, Obesity, Smoking Cessation Muscle Relaxants, Centrally Acting Narcotic Analgesics, Controlled Substances, Opiates, Opioids, Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatories, NSAIDS Obesity, Weight Loss, Appetite Control, Diet Pills Opiates, Opioids, Controlled Substances, Narcotic Analgesics Over The Counter (OTC) Medications Pain Killers Sedatives, Hypnotics, Barbiturates Skeletal Muscle Relaxants, Centrally Acting Steroids, Anabolic, Corticosteroids, Prednisone Smoking Cessation, Impotence, Hair Loss, Mens Health, Obesity Respiratory (Asthma, COPD, Emphysema, Pulmonary) Weight Gain Weight Loss, Obesity, Appetite Control, Diet Pills ****************************************************** ******************************************************

The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Internet Street Address of this page is
http://www.nursefriendly.com/nursing/directpatientcare/illegible.handwriting.physicians.penmanship.htm

Send comments and mail to Andrew Lopez, RN

Created on January 30, 2000

Last updated by Andrew Lopez, RN on Monday, January 25, 2010

This Page is Part of The Nursefriendly National Nursing A To Z & Consumer Health Directories

We are Incorporated in The State of New Jersey, under the name:
Nursefriendly, Inc.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua, New Jersey (NJ) 08051
Our Phone #: 856-415-9617, E-mail, ICQ#6116137 (www.icq.com)

This website Is © Copyright 1997 - 2010, Andrew Lopez, RN, Nursefriendly, Inc. Please contact us for permission to reproduce.
(Visit our Nursing Downloads Page for our site file Torrents)

Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders, and are not owned or affiliated with Nursefriendly, Inc. or any of it's affiliated companies.

View My Stats