Introduction: Prescription and drug order writing are key components of patient care allowing physicians communicate their therapeutic plans. Although electronic prescriptions are becoming more common, handwritten prescriptions are still quite prevalent and a persistent issue with handwritten prescriptions is the illegibility of physician handwritings. Prescriptions have to be legible to avoid delays in healthcare provision and consequences as serious as patient death.
Areas covered: We did a scoping review of multiple articles that assessed the legibility of prescriptions in different settings (inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacies) and countries, ranging from 1997 to 2020. Studies also elaborated on possible reasons for these suboptimal prescriptions and ways to address them.
Expert opinion: While the degree of legibility of prescriptions varies widely, it remains a concern because a single incorrectly read prescription can have severe consequences. Various measures exist to possibly minimize illegible prescriptions and while none alone is probably sufficient, combining is likely to yield great results. One is the sensitization and education of physicians and physicians-in-training. Another option is audits and a third and very potent option is the use of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system which will help improve patient safety by reducing errors due to inappropriately read prescriptions.
Keywords: Prescriptions; drug orders; handwriting; medications; patient safety.