test reports

At my last PM interrogation, you should have seen the shock on the face of the tech when I expressed my desire for a copy of the interrogation report. You would have thought I was asking to see Classified Eyes Only state secrets. I swear, she turned pale.

I had thought there was something about me that made that office so stingy with info, but suddenly I realized keeping patients minimally informed was policy.

With backbone acquired in this forum, I insisted and then gently demanded. And I got it.

At my last visit to the EP, I asked for, and got, a copy of my most recent nuclear stress test without any grief at all. And then, I discovered a new reason to request copies of everything.

Under history, I was shocked to see the first item was Diabetes.

I don't have, nor have I ever had, diabetes. How it got there, I don't know, but I immediately called it to the doctor's attention. Bad information is sometimes more dangerous than no information.

I sure don't want to be treated for a disease I don't have, or have treatment withheld because it's contraindicated for a diabetic.

You'd better believe I'll ask for everything from now on.

Thanks all.

3 Comments

Good for you

by KAG - 2014-05-16 11:05:14

Knowledge really is power.

Medical people are just that, people and people can make mistakes. Some are responsible and try not to and some just don't care. I don't think there are many of the later but it only takes one.

I wish they'd have us read the histories and sign off on them. Early on when I was being treated for breast cancer I happened to be able to read my oncologist's report as we were talking. I noticed that they had my mother as deceased. Quite a shock. That was 11 years ago and she's about to have her 86th birthday. During this treatment I learned the value of getting all my test reports and records as that wasn't the only thing that was incorrect.

Medical care is difficult enough without being incorrectly treated due to the wrong info in your charts.

Keep up the good work! We are our own best advocate.
Kathy

Dizzy

by Tick-tock - 2014-05-17 01:05:06

I could help but be reminded of a previous surgery I had. I was having an abdominal mass removed and when I read the report ( I ask for copies every time I go to the dr), my surgeon /or transcriber wrote his they placed a balloon to inflate my uterus - I have no uterus!!! I have a complete hysterectomy six years ago. As stated by others- they get lazy and write what should be "normal" and forgetting we are all individual. I guess when they saw a 20 something year old they would have not imagined me being gutted. Nurses/surgeons/techs should all be informed and do a brief research through the clients chart, prior to touching them.
Anyway... Gotrhythm: glad you alerted your team so maybe the embarrassment they were faced with will be avoided in the future to you and all their patients.

It's too common to bypass the cardiac conductio systen too

by Terry - 2014-05-18 07:05:07

Clinical studies found that bypassing the heart's native conduction system can cause heart failure in some patients, particularly if they are paced in the ventricle a high percentage of the time. See PacemakerPatientAdvocacy.com

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