Who has never had difficulty understanding a medical prescription? Despite the advent of computerization, there are still professionals who issue handwritten prescriptions. An illegible medication prescription can lead to serious health consequences for the user, including the possibility of poisoning and death, as well as penalties for pharmacists and doctors.
The legibility of prescriptions has been mandatory since 1973, through federal law. In addition to violating the law, writing illegibly also violates the Medical Ethics Code, which prohibits doctors from prescribing, certifying, or issuing reports in a secret or illegible manner, as stated in article 11.
The pharmacist plays a trusted role during the filling of the medical prescription and in the dispensing of the medication and is able to refuse the sale of medications with illegible or incorrectly filled prescriptions, according to article 35 of Federal Law No. 5,991/73.
The Resolution of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) RDC No. 67, of 2007, authorizes the pharmacist to evaluate the prescription based on legibility criteria before filling it, being able to block it due to the risks that a misinterpretation may cause. The pharmacist is responsible for analyzing the prescriptions and can only dispense medications when all items of the prescription and the notification are properly filled out.
This is because pharmacists can be punished if they sell the wrong medications due to misinterpretation of the prescription, and they may face criminal charges for health crimes.
“These doubts about what the medication is, the necessary quantity, and how to use what has been prescribed also end up causing delays in services and even frustrating patients, who may be left without the necessary medication for treatment at that moment. However, refusal is necessary in some situations, as a poorly written prescription can lead the patient to use the wrong medication or even the incorrect dosage,” commented Fernanda Ronchi, a lawyer specialized in Medical and Health Law..
Although Brazil does not have official data showing the consequences of illegible medical prescriptions, numerous cases of penalties for professionals who have violated current legislation have already been reported.
“In light of the above, the use of computers, with the printing of prescriptions and examination requests, contributes to the proper record-keeping and safety of all involved; however, it is something that is not present in all hospitals and clinics, whether due to lack of resources or any other reason. Thus, unfortunately, the professional often still needs to write in cursive,” she emphasized.
Therefore, according to the lawyer, extra care is needed to avoid possible harm to the safety and health of the patient due to illegible prescriptions. “The medical prescription is the main link of communication between prescribers, pharmacists, and users. To avoid failures in this process, it must be prepared according to defined and standardized criteria. Everyone benefits,” evaluated Fernanda.
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