Doctors fined for illegible handwriting in medical records

Morning MEDtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal

New Delhi, October 06, 2018 :

Allahabad High Court fined doctors for illegible handwriting in medical records. When the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court struggled to read the injury remarks of victims in 3 Separate Criminal Cases Medical Reports, because of poor handwriting, it reprimanded and penalized the Doctors who had authored them. Judges considered poor handwriting an ‘obstruction to court work’ and summoned Dr TP Jaiswal of Unnao, Dr PK Goel of Sitapur and Dr Ashish Saxena of Gonda and imposed a fine of Rs. 5000/- each on them. Court further directed Principal Secretary (home), Principal Secretary (medical & health) and Director General (medical & health) of the State to ensure that in the future, medical reports are prepared in Easy Language & Legible Handwriting. Fine amount needs to be deposited at the library of ‘Oudh Bar Association’. On failure, the amount will be deducted from the Doctors’ salaries. Court also suggested that the reports should be ‘computer-typed’ rather than handwritten in order to avoid encountering such problems in the future.

A circular was issued by UP Director General (Medical & Health) in 2012 to Doctors, asking them to present Medical Reports in ‘readable form.’ Judges remarked that the guidelines have been ‘ignored with impunity’. However, the Doctors cited a heavy workload as the ’cause and pled’ negligence (Source: The Quint).

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Wednesday asked the Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) at Kasaulito test all batches of polio vaccines for type 2 strain to rule out any possibility of contamination.

A systematic review of health effects of electronic cigarettes: “A conventional cigarette is the most harmful legal product that exists and everything will seem “harmless” compared with it. Also, by searching for harmful ingredients found in conventional cigarettes we may neglect or overlook other ingredients of potential harm (e.g. glycols, flavours, metals, rubber, silicone, ceramics and yet unknown ingredients), as the e-cigarette is a radically different product. Are we comparing apples with pears?” (WHO, p.38)

When mothers used household disinfectants (most commonly multi-surface cleaners, hand soap, and spray air fresheners), their children were more likely to be overweight or obese at age 3. Researchers from Canada used data from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study to see if there was a connection between the use of household disinfectants by mothers and the weight of their children. By looking at stool samples from the children when they were infants, they found that this increased risk seemed to be related to a change in the bacteria in the digestive tract. The children whose mothers used disinfectants had less of the “healthier” bacteria.

The benefits of exercise can’t be overstated for people who have diabetes or almost any other disease, for that matter. Exercise helps control weight, lower blood pressure, lower harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raise healthy HDL cholesterol, strengthen muscles and bones, reduce anxiety, and improve your general well-being. There are added benefits for people with diabetes: exercise lowers blood glucose levels and boosts your body’s sensitivity to insulin, countering insulin resistance.

Different strains of probiotics offer different health benefits. For example, L. acidophilus has been shown to support healthy digestion and immune function, while B. longum blocks unfriendly bacteria and yeast.

Foods naturally loaded with probiotics are yogurt, kombucha, tempeh, miso, and sauerkraut. These are all fermented foods; it’s the fermentation process that creates probiotics.