DAMMAM — A recent study revealed that over 7,000 patients die worldwide due to the unintelligible handwriting of doctors and nurses on prescription slips, Al-Watan daily reported. Director of a Medical Center in Riyadh Dr. Yahya Salahalddin said 30 percent of the negative side effects experienced by patients can be attributed to incorrect medication given to them by pharmacists who misread the handwriting on prescription slips. "The pharmacist should call the doctor if he is unsure about the prescription. He mustn't just assume and give the patient the wrong medication. I wouldn't say it can result in the extreme result of someone's death but it does not help the pharmaceutical industry to dispense inaccurate medications," said Salahalddin. He added the pharmaceutical industry runs regular surveys to compile the statistics of the demand and supply on medication. Issuance of incorrect medication leads to discrepancies in the survey results. "Doctors and nurses write unintelligibly because they are pressed for time. Moreover, no one ever points it out to them or emphasize how crucial it is for them to have clear handwriting," said Salahalddin. He added many doctors in the Kingdom are not fluent in English so they might misspell names of some medications. "This may lead pharmacists to confuse two similar names of medicines. There are many things that we can do to avoid such human errors. Some hospitals have implemented the e-prescription system where doctors type the prescription slip and print it out," he explained while adding that all hospitals should upgrade to the electronic system. A pharmacist who spoke on condition of anonymity said many doctors are in agreement with some pharmacists where the doctor promises the pharmacist to send all of his patients to him for medication and the doctor gets a percentage of the sale proceeds in exchange. "The doctors and pharmacists agree that the patient will only get his medication from the intended pharmacy. I personally always chat with the patient and ask about his name, age, symptoms, name of doctor, name of medication and its quantity," said the pharmacist.
