Med School Adds Penmanship Class

Indiana University’s medical school has the Rx for doctors’ notoriously bad handwriting.

Beginning in the fall, the school will add a section on penmanship.

“Doctors have to write fast and a lot,” said Dr. Antoinette Hood, an assistant dean.

“We’re under a lot of pressure, and it tends to lead to sloppy handwriting.”

Sloppy handwriting can lead to dangerous drug mixups.

Those who have to read doctors’ scrawls welcome the effort to improve penmanship.

“You’re not just concerned that it’s written correctly; you have to also make sure you can read the dosage,” said Nicholas Popovich, a Purdue University professor of pharmacy practice.