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The Karnataka State Doctors’ Handwriting Improvement Association (KSDHIA) has urged the pharmacists across the state to stop accepting handwritten medical prescriptions, stating that such practices are in direct violation of the National Medical Commission (NMC)’s Professional Conduct Regulations.
KSDHIA emphasized that illegible handwriting poses serious risks to patient safety, undermines ethical medical practice, and hence called for strict adherence to digital or typed prescriptions in compliance with current regulatory standards.
In 2016, the Medical Council of India (now NMC) had issued a circular dated April 21, 2017, directing all Registered Medical Practitioners to strictly comply with its guidelines on medical prescription. Any violation of these provisions may lead to disciplinary action by the MCI or the respective State Medical Councils, who are duly authorized to take such measures under the regulations.
According to Clause 1.5 of its Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics Regulations, 2002, every physician is required to prescribe medicines using generic names, written clearly and preferably in capital letters. The clause also emphasizes the importance of a rational approach to prescribing and using drugs.
This regulation was introduced to promote rational drug use and to minimize errors arising from illegible handwriting thereby enhancing patient safety and ensuring accurate dispensing by pharmacists. The responsibility for enforcing these rules now lies with the NMC, said KSDHIA.
Dr. Shantagiri Mallappa, president, KSDHIA said that even as the NMC instructs doctors to prescribe medicines in capital letters in a legible manner mentioning the generic names of the drugs, we are seeing this is not followed. Therefore, we see a need for pharmacists to be instructed not to accept any handwritten prescription in upper and lower format which violates the law of using capital letters.
The legislation is good but its robust implementation is inadequate. We see the requirement for strict penal provisions. Further, wide publicity and awareness among the medical fraternity , pharmacists and general public is required, he added.
If a medical practitioner's handwriting is not legible, it can lead to serious errors. For instance, drugs like Arkamine and Artamine have similar spellings, and when written in cursive or hurried handwriting, they can appear almost identical. This creates a significant risk of confusion, even among experienced pharmacists, potentially resulting in the wrong medication being dispensed. Dr. Mallappa highlighted this concern to Pharmabiz.
A few years ago, KSDHIA, in collaboration with several handwriting experts, organized camps across the state to help improve doctors’ handwriting. Thousands of medical professionals participated in these handwriting improvement courses, which significantly raised awareness about the importance of writing prescriptions clearlyeither in capital letters or, more recently, through electronic prescriptions. This shift supports the objectives of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which aims to establish a strong digital health infrastructure across India. However, even as some regulations continue to be overlooked, Dr. Mallappa emphasized that the push for legible and safe medical documentation must not lose momentum which makes continued training and awareness initiatives crucial to ensuring patient safety state-wide, he said.
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