handwriting help?

[emidesu]

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I lost my cursive a long time ago (too messy) and my printing is legible, but only when I'm not in a hurry. I'd like to practice and make it better- has anyone else had this problem? What helped? I'd prefer not to kill any patients due to handwriting error.

 

[Blade28]

Just gotta slow down. We all have messy handwriting (and it gets worse the busier you get).

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Just gotta slow down. We all have messy handwriting (and it gets worse the busier you get).

You guys still write? 😱
It's all electronic here. I've only written about a dozen paper scripts in almost three years of practice! 😎

 

[Blade28]

You guys still write? 😱
It's all electronic here. I've only written about a dozen paper scripts in almost three years of practice! 😎

Nice!

Don't forget that we have lots of paperwork that can't be computerized, though - particular the peri-op stuff.

Only place where I'm used to almost 100% EMR is the VA.

 

[emidesu]

I *dream* about EMR....

 

[AwesomO]

During our 3rd year we were lectured to by an attending about the importance of hand writing. Ironically he had such horrendous hand writing that no one could actually make out what he was writing. The nurses said they eventually learned what his space alien symbols met and have adjusted accordingly. They are all too scared to tell him though

 

[chaser08]

I've often wondered why it isn't some form of malpractice for your writing to be so illegible that most reasonable people cannot read it.

People should not have to decode your handwriting. 🙄

 

[emidesu]

I agree that illegible handwriting is dangerous, and that's why I'm looking for help. Most of us with poor handwriting didn't develop it because we were lazy; different people have different aptitudes for fine motor skills just as people have different aptitudes for sports. Word processors and later PC's were a godsend for me; there's just this one area where I have to write...

 

[Arsenic]

I've often wondered why it isn't some form of malpractice for your writing to be so illegible that most reasonable people cannot read it.

People should not have to decode your handwriting. 🙄

we use all written notes here. when i rotated through the local VA the difference was night and day, instead of spending 10 minutes looking for a chart and flow sheet at the nursing station and then another 20 minutes trying to decipher a consult note i could just pull up the consult note electronically from anywhere and read everything. i hate hand written notes, its just so inefficient and out dated to be using them in hospitals in 2007.

 

[chaser08]

I agree that illegible handwriting is dangerous, and that's why I'm looking for help. Most of us with poor handwriting didn't develop it because we were lazy; different people have different aptitudes for fine motor skills just as people have different aptitudes for sports. Word processors and later PC's were a godsend for me; there's just this one area where I have to write...

The fact that you recognize that you have poor handwriting and are willing to work on it leads me to believe that it's probably not that bad - it's the people who don't even try that annoy me. Usually it's some cocky old doc, not a med student or resident. I'm just looking for something that resembles the alphabet I grew up with. What is the point of writing an assessment and plan if no one can carry it out?

Other than practicing and using as many standard abbreviations as possible thereby allowing you to write slower while getting the point across, I don't know what to tell you to do.

Take heart - EMR will soon over take the world! 😀

 

[Dr McSteamy]

just to piss him off, do you guys ever call the doctor and ask him what he wrote?

there's one particular jackazz in my hospital who just draws squiggles on the consultation sheet.
it's impossible to decipher, and hence, no one even knows if this jackazz is doing his job cuz we can't read it.

 

[Hard24Get]

just to piss him off, do you guys ever call the doctor and ask him what he wrote?

there's one particular jackazz in my hospital who just draws squiggles on the consultation sheet.
it's impossible to decipher, and hence, no one even knows if this jackazz is doing his job cuz we can't read it.

I have done this several times for the sake of good patient care (the fact that they were paged by a med student usually enrages them enough to pay 'em back 😎)

 

[Chrysanthemum]

i have pretty bad handwriting myself... so i use a fine ballpoint pen. i use the F-400 (i think) from Staples. It's like 4 or 5 bucks but its way worth it if you have a sloppy handwriting. just see what works for you...