Noted on that same occasion that the surgeon had indicated on the record that I was to be administered 10 grams of a certain component of general anesthetic (the 10 was handwritten; the “g” was part of the form). I could have sworn he said “1 degree” to his resident during our consult. Obviously whatever it was, was fine, but it did leave me thinking how easily someone might misinterpret a degree symbol as a zero if it wasn’t carefully written.

Most pharmacists learn the handwriting styles of physicians near them.

Doctors in “totally computerized” hospitals still scribble Post-Its to slap onto the walls of the nurse’s station, still scrawl notes onto the cuffs of their scrubs during impromptu elevator/corridor conferences with colleagues … and, most of all, doctors with computer systems often have the ward clerks operate the computers, use the Net, or whatever: working, of course, from the doctors’ illegible handwriting. Bad doctor handwriting, incorrectly deciphered by ward clerks using the computer for any purpose, thereby enters the computerized medical record.

And what happens when disasters like Hurricane Katrina knock out a hospital’s network? More than one hospital, during Katrina, lost its generator, its electric power — and therefore its computer system — for the duration. Even the computer-savviest staff at these locations therefore had to return to handwriting.

Kate Gladstone – Handwriting Repair – http://learn.to/handwrite

Time article: Sloppy Doctors