Understanding What Your Doctor Writes on a Prescription
Doctors' sloppy handwriting kills more than 7,000 people annually. It's a shocking statistic, and, according to a July 2006 report from the National Academies of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM), preventable medication mistakes also injure more than 1.5 million Americans annually.
Reading Your Prescription
Your prescription is usually written on a pre-printed pad with your doctor's name, address, and phone number. You may also see, either on the top or bottom of the prescription, special identification numbers, such as your doctor's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number for narcotics or controlled substances.
Of course, there is space for your name and address, your age, the date, a place for your doctor's signature, and a blank area in which your doctor writes the following directions:
- Name of the medication
- The dose of the medication
- How often to take the medication
- When to take the medication
- How to take the medication
Additionally, your doctor will indicate how much medicine the pharmacist should give you and the number of times that your prescription can be refilled.
Commonly Used Medical Abbreviations
Your doctor may use different abbreviations or symbols. If you do not understand them, ask your doctor or pharmacist for clarification because:-
How Often to Take Your Medication
When to Take Your Medication
How Much Medication to Take
How to Use Your Medication
A doctor’s handwriting can mean the difference between life and death for patients. Can there be any asset dearer than life, which doctors protect? And if the doctor’s handwriting can strip the patient of that protection, isn’t good handwriting an invaluable asset for doctors? Shouldn’t all doctors then attempt to acquire such an asset?
My answer is an unequivocal ‘YES’.
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