The decision has been taken to prevent confusion caused by unclear handwriting on prescriptions, which often leads to difficulties for patients and sometimes for chemists, leading to wrong dispensing of medicines. With these instructions, patients and their families will find it easier to understand what medicines have been prescribed to them.
The directions were issued by Prof G P Thami, Director-Principal of GMCH, who has also asked the heads of departments to ensure strict compliance across all units.
Also read- Legible Prescriptions A Fundamental Rights: Punjab and Haryana HC directs Doctors to Use Capital Letters
"All doctors have been directed to adhere to this mandate with immediate effect, and heads of departments have also been instructed to ensure strict compliance across all departments," reads the order.
Doctors at the hospital admitted that patients and their families had long complained about struggling to read prescriptions, and in many cases, chemists had to guess the medicines prescribed.
A senior doctor told the Indian Express, "The reform is a step towards prioritising patient safety, with many patients and their families often complaining that prescriptions were difficult to read, while chemists often guess what exactly was prescribed. That guessing game is now over."
In August, Medical Dialogues reported that the Punjab and Haryana High Court observed that legible medical prescriptions and diagnosis notes form an essential part of a patient’s right to health under Article 21 of the Constitution. The Court directed doctors to write prescriptions and diagnosis notes in capital letters until computerisation or typed prescriptions become the norm.
The order followed a shocking incident where the court was unable to understand a single word from a medico-legal report concerning a rape case due to the illegible handwriting of the doctors involved.
While considering the plea, the court noted that unclear or illegible handwriting in prescriptions can endanger patients’ lives and compromise their right to know what treatment is being given. It further observed that in the age of digital health and artificial intelligence, legible prescriptions are indispensable to ensure that the Fundamental Rights of the people of India are duly safeguarded.
Suggesting preventive measures, Single Bench Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri asked the National Medical Commission (NMC) to include the importance of clear and legible handwriting in medical prescriptions as part of the curriculum in all medical colleges. The Court also emphasised that digital or typed prescriptions should be made a priority across the country.
Meanwhile, in its Generic Medicine and Prescription guidelines released in 2023, the NMC stated that written prescriptions should be legible and preferably in full CAPITALS to avoid misinterpretation. As far as possible, prescriptions should be typed and printed to reduce errors.
Also read- How to write a Prescription: Check out NMC's Prescription guidelines for doctors
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