Check Your Medical Records to Prevent Dangerous Mistakes

I wrote about this topic for the In The News section of our web site but it deserves repeating here.  The Wall Street Journal has some good advice for all of us:  Check your medical records.  The chances are you will find some errors.  Here is a link to the story.

Over the years I have reviewed many, many medical charts.  It is a rare case when a client doesn’t say to me at some point that there is a mistake in the chart.  Most of the time, the mistake a patient points out to me is a mistake about what the patient told the doctor or a mistake about the patient’s medical history.  Once a mistake like this finds its way into the records, it just keeps on getting repeated as new providers carry over the mistaken entries of their predecessors.

As the Journal points out, more and more doctors are permitting or even encouraging their patients to look at all or some part of their medical chart.  The most common place to find an error is the medication list.  This is especially a problem for seniors, who take the most medications.  If the medication list is not up-to-date, the doctor may prescribe a medication without realizing that the patient is already taking a similar one.  Alternatively, the doctor may fail to prescribe a medication in the mistaken belief that the patient is already taking it when in fact the medication has been discontinued.  There are also potential problems with a new medication interacting in a bad way with a current medication.  The bottom line is that there are lots of ways in which errors in a medication list can hurt you so, if your doctor gives you the opportunity to review your medication list, take it.  If the doctor doesn’t make the offer, you should ask him or her if you can review your medication list.  I expect many doctors will be happy to have the input of their patients as an accurate medication list reduces the chances of a damaging mistake.  As always, be careful and be proactive.  If you are, you increase your chances of living a longer and healthier life.