Indian Court Orders "Include Handwriting Training in Medical Curriculum"
Medical Accidents Caused by Doctors' Illegible Handwriting Are Common Worldwide
An Indian court has taken decisive action to fundamentally address the chronic issue of doctors' "illegible handwriting" on prescriptions, a long-standing problem in the country's medical field. The court directly ordered the government to implement improvements after continued criticism that medical reports and prescriptions written in difficult-to-read handwriting threaten patient safety and cause confusion in legal disputes.
On October 1 (local time), the BBC reported that the Punjab and Haryana High Court in India instructed the central government and health authorities to include "handwriting training" in medical school curricula and to fully implement a digital prescription system in hospitals nationwide within two years. The court pointed out that cases of illegible medical documents occur frequently, to the extent that even judicial authorities are sometimes unable to decipher their contents.
The presiding judge emphasized, "A legible prescription is a basic right of the people," adding, "Doctors must write clearly, ensuring that not a single sentence is missed." The judge further criticized, "It is shocking that, in the digital age, prescriptions are still being written in a way that only pharmacists can understand," and stated, "Cases where not even a single word or letter could be deciphered have shaken the conscience of the court."
This decision is also resonating with courts in other states across India. The Odisha High Court had previously raised concerns about medical reports being written in "zigzag handwriting," making it impossible to understand their contents.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also expressed its intention to improve the situation. Association President Dilip Bhanushali stated, "We have advised doctors to write prescriptions in bold and clear handwriting so that both patients and pharmacists can read them." However, he added, "Most medical professionals have to treat patients in very busy conditions, so there are practical difficulties, especially in government hospitals."
The issue of doctors' illegible handwriting is not unique to India. In 1999, approximately 7,000 people died in the United States due to prescription errors caused by poor handwriting.
In the same year, a Texas court in the United States ordered a doctor to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for writing the name of a drug illegibly. The court recognized that the responsibility lay fundamentally with the doctor, after a pharmacist misread the handwritten prescription and dispensed the wrong medication, resulting in the patient's death from a heart attack. In 2019, in Scotland, United Kingdom, a woman suffered facial burns after being mistakenly prescribed erectile dysfunction cream instead of eye drops for dry eyes.
Additionally, in 2022, Google announced that it was developing an artificial intelligence (AI) model specialized in deciphering doctors' handwritten notes that are difficult to read. This AI and machine learning model is designed to detect and highlight the names of "medications" in handwritten prescriptions. Google explained that this technology is intended to support the digitization of handwritten medical documents.
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