When physicians' loved ones are patients
CMAJ 1997;156:637
Re: Too close for comfort? A family physician questions whether
medical professionals should be excluded from their loved ones'
care, by Dr. Michael C. Klein, CMAJ
1997;156:53-5 [full text / résumé]
I am grateful to Dr. Klein for raising the issue of family involvement in medical care. I suspect it rings bells with most physicians. I also have some experience with this subject and have a suggestion.
Why not keep the patient's chart in his or her room and let the patient decide who may look at it? Nothing would prevent daily charting duties from being performed in the nursing station and those sheets being added at the end of each day. I suspect that the legibility of records would improve. Even a nonmedical family member could then detect the contradiction between a "no added salt" dietary order and an order for extra Oxo cubes at each meal. I think such a measure would help solve many communication difficulties between family members and hospital staff. It would certainly make the experience of hospital care less opaque.
Anthony R. Wells, MD
Toronto, Ont.
 |
Send a letter to the editor responding to this letter
Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cette lettre |
Letters