The National Medical Commission (NMC) has ordered doctors to write clean prescriptions. This decision has been taken in view of the risk of patients receiving the wrong medicine due to illegible handwriting. Its main objective is to ensure patient safety.
New Delhi: There are frequent complaints of doctors not being able to read prescriptions. Because of this, it becomes difficult to mix whether the medicine obtained from the pharmacy and the medicine prescribed by the doctor is the same or not. Sometimes even pharmacists cannot understand the doctor’s handwriting. If the medicine is given wrong, it can also become a threat to the patient’s life. In view of this, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued an important order for doctors across the country. It says that the slips should be neat and in clear handwriting.
This decision has been taken keeping in mind the serious situations arising out of unclear slips. Punjab-Haryana High Court had also made an important comment on this matter. The court had said that due to illegible prescriptions, the patient may get the wrong medicine or the medicine in the wrong quantity. In view of these concerns, NMC has given this instruction to doctors across the country regarding the prescription.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that switching medications is a major challenge for patients’ health. Even a small mistake in the dosage of medicine can have major consequences. For people suffering from chronic diseases, the elderly and those taking multiple medications, even a small mistake can lead to a situation ranging from allergy to life-threatening.
NMC’s new order
According to the NMC order, writing vague prescriptions will not be accepted as it puts the patient’s safety at risk. Committees will be formed in all medical colleges to monitor the slips. Medical students will be taught the importance of writing clean prescriptions and this will be part of their clinical training. The aim is to bring about a big change by adopting this habit while studying. By the way, in many places doctors have now started typing prescriptions, which is a method adopted throughout the world. But this new order of NMC will be applicable on doctors in hospitals where this facility is not available.