Diagnosis Mystery

Thanks for your comment, Dean.

Jason,

Thanks for your comments.

Good point about typos. I'm not sure this was a transcription error. It wasn't a note, but a hospital registration form. I have no knowledge of how those are completed. I do have friends who are transcriptionists. They echo your sentiments about unintelligible moments within the physicians' recordings.  

Yes, of course I've made errors. As recently as typing this response! However, the fact that human error exists doesn't negate the damage those errors can do or lessen the importance of holding workers accountable. It is all the more reason for being selective in hiring employees for those positions, considering only competent applicants with high integrity.

That said, the typo examples you provided are of a different nature than the one referenced in this post. Most anyone would know what your errors were supposed to be. My best guess is that my diagnosis was supposed to be hyperglyceridemia. Changing the root of the word (from glycer to glycem) completely changes the meaning.

Consider the example you gave about preventing the nurse from giving you an incorrect medication. What if instead of you, it happened to your wife or one of your children? What if that loved one had been unconscious and the medication had been going into an IV? What if the diagnosis on the record was incorrect and supported administering the wrong medication? What if that medication caused your loved one to suffer complications or perish? A similar scenario actually happened to a friend of mine. The nursing staff likely felt they were doing the best they could. They certainly didn't set out to kill their patient. It was human error.  

Your example is the perfect illustration of why we should do our due diligence. You made an excellent suggestion of reviewing your medical record periodically. Thanks for sharing that!

Always double and triple check information especially in the medical field.  I was in the hospital and a nurse was about to have me consume a stange liquid until I questioned her and she realized I was not her patient.

About the wrong diagnosis, the typist might be under constraints for productivity and erroneously misprinted the diagnosis.  How many times have I written "giat", "pateint", or placed too many letters in a word?  The reviewers probably had a field day with my notes.  Have you ever misprinted a word?

A typo can easily be fixed once the MD corrects it.  If the typist is listening to a transcription the MD's words could be muffled or indecipherable so they do the best they can.  There are many typos with MD/PT notes but it does not make the information wrong.

And it is always good, no matter how irritating for the patient, to get the information first hand.  Also,  look through your medical chart at least once a year, you can add addendums to your medical notes.

Good story! Yes, patients are often annoyed at the amount of times we repeat questions about diagnoses or other things. The truth is we can't trust that it has been entered or coded correctly. Safety first, even if exasperation is the price.