It's a stereotype la...not all doctors have bad handwriting but
it is true that most of us use abbreviations, so laypersons may not
understand. Medical terminology is long, many latin terms and
doctors are always in a rush each day...so instead of writing
'Diagnosis: pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta' the
doctor may quickly scribble 'Dx: PLEVA'...Instead of writing 'Take
two Amoxicillin capsules three times a day for 1 week', it is
common to write Cap. Amoxil 2/2 tds x 1/52.
Unless you understand our shorthand and abbreviations, you won't
understand what we write. But that said, it is true some doctors
have bad handwriting.
Now the hospitals and polyclinics are moving towards electronic
prescribing, so errors arising from bad handwriting will be a thing
of the past.
