Google AI to help interpret doctor's handwriting

I saw that bad handwriting should be regarded as a sign of an imperfection education- said by Mahatma Gandhi.
But not in this case, doctor’s handwriting is often difficult to read. Why doctor’s handwriting is not understood by everyone but the pharmacist can decipher it.
How does an pharmacist read the prescription?
Should Doctor’s change their writing style ?
Why do doctor’s write like this ?

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Doctors’ handwriting is usually hard to read because they write very quickly under time pressure, handling many prescriptions daily, and use medical shorthand or Latin terms.

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Doctor’s handwriting really feels like a secret code :joy: Good thing pharmacists are trained to read it! Still, digital prescriptions would make things so much safer for everyone.

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Doctor’s handwriting is often difficult to read because they work under pressure and need to write prescriptions quickly. They use short forms, medical terms, and familiar patterns that may look like scribbles to most people. But pharmacists are trained to understand these prescriptions. With experience, they become familiar with drug names, dosages, and formats even when written in poor handwriting.Still, clear writing or digital prescriptions can help avoid confusion and reduce the risk of medication errors.

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While pharmacists are trained to decode prescriptions, clear writing saves lives.
In critical care or emergencies, even a small mistake due to bad handwriting can have serious consequences.

Doctors have the knowledge and clarity in communication should reflect that too.

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Doctors write fast due to time pressure, and pharmacists learn to recognize common patterns over time. While they can usually decode it, clearer writing or digital prescriptions would make things much safer.

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Pharmacists are aware of most of the drugs with some letters of a drug they can identify the actual name of the medicine

Probly No, but with good understandable hand writing we can prevent medication errors

Due to their busy schedules, lack of time

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Doctors write fast and their handwriting can be messy. Pharmacists understand it because they’re used to medical terms. Electronic prescriptions might help solve the issue.

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Actually during the mbbs doctor have to write alot and also because of less time doctor’s write too fast so the writing became like this and a pharmacist know the name becoz he also know medicine and get idea form prescription

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I agree that doctor’s have bad handwriting and it is unable to read by pharmacist and other people. Doctor have many duty. Doctor have to diagnose several patient . But a trained pharmacist can easily understand these prescription with their experience. They easily understand what drugs doctor prescribed to patient.

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Doctors treat so many patients everyday in a given time so they write very fast and use shorthand writing so it’s not readable for patients.

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Doctors handwritten prescription is difficult to understand for a normal people.A qualified pharmacist can easily understood the prescription.Google AI is an artificial intelligence tool which helps to decode the doctors prescription makes to understand to the people who were not doctors and pharmacist

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As a pharmacist it’s not very difficult for us. because we have learned about all the drugs. But for a patient it might be tough to read.
I think doctor doesn’t need to change there handwriting but write it in clear way to better understanding and prevent MEDICATION ERROR

During dispensing medicine pharmacist should check proper dose . If it is not
Clear then

  • Verify medical details and double Check to doctor.
  • Ensure a clear communication
  • Giving wrong medication or wrong dose (too little :pill: or too high dose) leads to Adverse events.
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I tired the same bad handwriting image to be analyzed by the AI…
But even AI said - ‘Nope , I give up !’
Doctor’s handwriting is next level :melting_face:

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Doctors handwriting is really difficult to read to a lay person. Pharmacist are able to read the precipitation written by the doctors. Still to avoid the medication error they should confirm it by asking the patient. It would be more easy if the E-Prescription will be available.

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We can understand due to the time pressure, doctors prescription the medication like this, but now a days, everything is digitalised, electronic media record system is used by lot of doctors, in multiple speciality hospital. If we go on digitalising, it will be lot more easier to understand the past history of the patient

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It will be help in emergency situation when no one is able to interpret the handwriting. Although pharmacist are very well trained in interpreting the doctor’s handwriting and when they are confused between the two medicine then Google AI will aid to clear the confusion.

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True , Doctor are under constant time pressure and they write many priscription in a day for many patients and that’ why doctor’s handwriting are difficult to understand only trained pharmacist could understand their writing

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It is due to the speed of writing and busy schedule doctor’s handwriting is unable to read. But it is understood by pharmacist because doctors use medical jargons or specific abbreviations and sometimes it is difficult for them also to understand

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I don’t think AI can interpret doctors’ handwriting because, as we see when trying to log in to something, it often asks us to solve a CAPTCHA to confirm we’re not a robot. These CAPTCHAs are often messy and hard to read almost like doctors’ handwriting which AI struggles with, unlike humans.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has also advised doctors to write prescriptions clearly and ideally in capital letters to make sure they’re easy to read and avoid any confusion.

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