Comments on: Can you read these prescriptions? (Round 2)

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:22:09 +0000

BTW i'm a coder

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:21:38 +0000

Oh my gosh…this is horrible! I'm glad someone else share the same frustration. I pull my hair out everyday looking at their progress notes…You should see their handwriting diagnoses"

By: Dude, I need a WTF stamp :: OnThePharm

Dude, I need a WTF stamp :: OnThePharm — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:29:02 +0000

[...] could stamp all the ridiculous prescriptions and fax 'em back to the douchenuggets who wrote [...]

By: Debra Martin

Debra Martin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:52:19 +0000

This is terrible, I could not make out what it says and I am a Coder, I have to interpret progress notes everyday

By: Shelle

Shelle — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:07:40 +0000

I used to work in an area with a physician who's handwriting was so bad, that I had to fax his office with the Rx to have it deciphered EVERY time I got one. His own office staff was also unable to read his handwriting. While I was waiting for clarification, I would educate his patients on how his writing was risking their health and safety, as well as wasting their time and mine. I would tell them that they needed to insist that he have a nurse or secretary either call in Rx's or write the Rx's so he could just sign them. The best part was when one of his Rx's wound up in the "Can You Read This?" segment in Pharmacy Times!

By: kp

kp — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:41:55 +0000

Seriously, isn't there something to be done here? That first script CLEARLY has a 0.5, i think she messed up and she saw it when you questioned her or she let the kid she was prescribing for write the thing.

By: RJS

RJS — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:13:56 +0000

debbie, the answers are posted above. (Here.)

By: debbie

debbie — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:11:11 +0000

i am developing a legibility clinic and would love to know the correct decipher of the above scripts. I have Benadril 12.5 mg/15 mL, sig: 0.5 mL: PO Q6hours prn ______________ disp 4 oz. refills 4; 2nd- Tylenol 80 mg/0.8 mL
sig 8 oz/0.8 mL PO Q4 hours prn pain disp 6 oz; 4 refills; 3rd–Amox 250 mg (liquid form) disp 1 bottle, sig take 2-3 tablespoons per day

By: Roy from Shrink Rap

Roy from Shrink Rap — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:18:04 +0000

I confess, I wrote these. Here's what I really wrote … they were intended to by Haikus, not scripts, for a poetry class:

#1:
Scrooge 1 IQ say Lassie.
Yo, smile, Poog Pro.
And FIFO mail.

#2:
7 Ylert song lo smile.
My song lo smile
is on purple.

#3:
This is a real script. I had a headache coming up with good haikus.

By: terri

terri — Sat, 19 May 2007 12:48:53 +0000

I thought you had mentioned they were for a 6 year old child. But as I go back and read you say just the last one is for a 6 year old. Sorry. But yes I still insist on weights on all my kids and base doses on weights. It has been my experience that most docs underdose because they are afraid to give too much. But underdosing can lead to a number of issues also. It frustrates me that I would never guess at a dose especially for a child yet we see it all the time. If they want to pick the drug and let us dose- great. I consider it a value added service. Thanks for the exercise! I'd say it was fun, but a little depressing.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 18 May 2007 21:52:17 +0000

You cant read them because most doctors are in too much of a hurry to get to their next Px.

Inconsiderate pricks.

They can graduate from medical school, but not have the common courtesy to write legibly?

By: RJS

RJS — Fri, 18 May 2007 21:09:08 +0000

terri, I'm not sure what you mean. Which scripts were underdosed? They all seem pretty reasonable to me. If it seems wildly off (the third one), I call and have it changed, which is what I did. I ended up telling the prescriber what I thought was a good middle ground, and he seemed relieved to have someone else take the problem off his hands. He was a dentist, and he was WAY over his head, it seemed.

He didn't even want to get on the phone with me, I could hear him in the background. I felt bad for the guy, actually.

By: terri

terri — Fri, 18 May 2007 12:46:00 +0000

Horrible- but these doses are still underdosed- I don't know in the retail sector 'cause I practice in hospital but do you dispense as written or get the doc to change. I would not have given as written- in fact in my practice setting if doc wouldn't agree to appropriate dosing – I would have gone over her to another partner in her practice or the pediatrics supervisor. just my 2 cents.

By: RJS

RJS — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:18:54 +0000

It's a couple of hours early, I know, but I've got an early shift tomorrow.

I am NOT making these up. I called the office and verified the first one by speaking with the doctor herself. The second one was verified by someone else. I don't know who she spoke to.

These prescriptions are written by the SAME DOCTOR on the SAME DAY for DIFFERENT PEOPLE. Her handwriting is universally shitty. These are not one-off occurences. The writing is so bad, and what the prescription turns out to be is often so different from what it looks like on paper that I feel uncomfortable filling any prescriptions from her because the probability of success is about 50-50.

Script #1:
Benadryl 12.5mg/5mL
4ml po q6 hours prn
#4oz
2 refills

Script #2:
Tylenol 80mg/0.8mL
0.8mL q4 hours prn temperature > 101 degrees
#6oz
4 refills

Witness how what looks like a 4 in the refills section is actually a 2 in one case, and filled as a 4 in the other. What's actually right? Even now, I don't know.

Looking at these prescriptions days later, my mind is still boggled. I actually have to look at my notes as I write this to be sure what is what. Horrific.

By: RJS

RJS — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:25:40 +0000

Some hints:

Benadryl: the actual number of refills looks nothing like what's written. The second line of the sig is a red herring. It's not dosed before anything, even though it says it is. (To give you an idea how fucked up these prescriptions are.) Dose is not 0.5mL, either. Qty is correct.

This tylenol script has nothing to do with pain. It was filled with four refills, but I suspect it was supposed to be something else. Looks close enough to a 4, though. (And yes, I realize that it looks almost the same as the other script.)

These prescriptions are more ridiculous than Round 1's set.

By: terri

terri — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:17:27 +0000

ok- try again
Benadryl- 4 refills- and I have no idea what the sig is, it almost looks like 1 before meals?? And if the other part of the sig is 0.5 ml- then even worse UNDER dose than I thought.
tylenol – prn pain? and 4 refills

By: Greedy Trial Lawyer

Greedy Trial Lawyer — Thu, 17 May 2007 11:20:05 +0000

Can Pharmacists Believe Everything They Read?…

OnThePharm has an interesting exercise that may partly explain why there are so many prescription errors.

Can you read these prescriptions? (Round 2)

[Take a minute to study these handwritten gems.]

Remember there's more to a prescription than t…

By: RJS

RJS — Thu, 17 May 2007 02:02:56 +0000

OMG, Dr Dino is stumped! :p (After all, you won the last one. )

By: #1 Dinosaur

#1 Dinosaur — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:53:10 +0000

Not a freaking clue.

I think the second line of the second one is written in Hebrew.

That amoxicillin Rx is just lame.

By: RJS

RJS — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:18:31 +0000

terri,

You are incorrect on Script #1. Directions, refills, etc.

Tylenol directions are incomplete. Need more than that; they're actually very specific. Refill is also incorrect.