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Comparative Study
. 1994 Jan;9(1):52-4.
doi: 10.1007/BF02599144.

Deciphering the physician note

E A Kozak  1 , R S Dittus, W R Smith, J F Fitzgerald, C D Langfeld
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Deciphering the physician note

E A Kozak et al. J Gen Intern Med. 1994 Jan.

Abstract

Objective information about legibility of physician handwriting is scant. This retrospective chart review compared handwritten general medicine clinic chart notes from internal medicine faculty and housestaff with their typed counterparts. The written counterparts took 11 seconds (46%) longer to read and 5 seconds (11%) longer to answer comprehension questions. The authors' comprehension measure (developed specifically for ambulatory clinic notes) was only slightly higher for typed notes. The legibility of physician handwriting is not as dismal as assumed; physicians can effectively communicate on paper.

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References

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    1. JAMA. 1979 Nov 30;242(22):2429-30 - PubMed

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