Annoyed consultant lied on my notes today

[Ivortheengine8]

I went for my 22 week check up today with the consultant. My appointment was an hour late and obviously they were busy.

When it came to me, I had my BP checked and urine, Dr asked if everything was ok and that was it - No problem. But when I read through the notes later on I noticed she had written under fetal heart 'FHH Sonicaid'
She did not listen to the heartbeat at all, so why lie and write it in my notes?

Would you be annoyed or am I overreacting?

[TransatlanticCityGirl]

Um yeah, I would be very annoyed! I'm not sure what to do about it apart from ask the consultant what that note means given you didn't have it and possibly complain if you don't get a satisfactory answer?

[Ivortheengine8]

I doubt I will do anything about it, (I seem to see different consultants each time) as it might seem a bit petty, but I just think its bad practice when this sort of thing happens, it makes you wonder what else goes 'amiss'

Your suggestion is a good one though if I get the same one next time

[BagofHolly]

PLEASE report this. Imagine you're some poor soul who has a catastrophe in hospital and when they ask for it to be investigated, the medic has written that they were properly monitored. They'd have far less come back. Lying on medical notes is a REALLY REALLY big deal. It might not have consequences in your case but if this doc gets a rap over the knuckles for it, they possibly won't do it again.

[TeamLemon]

What are you seeing a consultant for if they are only going to do the same basic checks as in a regular midwife appointment?
Less, in fact. At least with a MW they'll have a listen or prod!

[spatchcock]

I don't think it's petty. What if (god forbid) something went wrong with your pregnancy - they have just effectively covered their own backs and you would not have any way to take further action because as far as your notes are concerned they did everything by the book!

I would be really pissed off and would complain to whoever you're supposed to complain to.

[Ivortheengine8]

I did think about that bagof and what if happened to someone else like you say, who was in trouble. I think I am more annoyed because it is supposed to be consultant led care meaning we are high risk pregnancies and should be monitored more carefully.

[nickelbabe]

write it in your notes - you knwo the bit where it says "write here any questions you have for your midwife"
they do read those, and it is then documented that the test didn't happen.

[Ivortheengine8]

Teamlemon, I have previous blood clotting issues and DVT so am on anticoagulants this pregnancy which is why I am supposed to be seeing the consultant and I entirely agree, what is the difference. Maybe the midwives would have been better afterall!

So shall I get on the the phone to them tomorrow and at least I would have made it clear now rather than later what happened?
I thought I might be over reacting but if you think I should, I will. :)

[Ivortheengine8]

nickle - I will do that now!

[owlbooty]

Please complain. As Holly says, making things up on patients' notes is serious and needs to be reported. You could talk to your MW first if you felt more comfortable doing that, or the PALS service at the hospital. You are definitely not overreacting.

[TeamLemon]

Sorry, didn't mean to be nosy. Was just posing the question.
But I totally agree with you. What is the point of categorising high-risk pregnancies if the care is no different?

[Ivortheengine8]

Its ok team, I've got you now!

I know its beside the point but is it routine to listen to the FFHR at this stage? Its my second child on the way but I can't remember if they did it at this point last time.

[Heinoushierachy]

I would get onto the phone to them first thing in the AM. That's absolutely crap, not to mention an act of malpractice. Regardless of whether you are high-risk or not it's just blatant lying. When someone starts cutting corners in whatever field they work in, it's only a matter of time before a big fuck up is made. Get on the phone, be very clam and reasonable and request an answer as to why this was written. Good luck and do see it through!

[OiMissus]

Totally agree with the threads here. This is BAD practice. Make it known with a call, and write it in your notes yourself as nickelbabe suggests.
On the call, I would be calm and would question why he has written this, rather than go into complain mode.

[Ivortheengine8]

Thankyou everyone. I am now swayed and I think the right thing to do is say something or ask for an answer, it may be that there is an answer. It's a shame the there are no intitals of the Dr though so I can't refer to any name.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I think rather than outright lying the dr has probably just got you confused with the previous woman. Antenatal clinics can be a bit of a conveyor belt/groundhog day and you end up telling 20 different women the same thing and wondering if you've already told them it or not.

It is bad that they got confused but I doubt they've done it on purpose. Nice guidelines actually say not to listen in to fh anymore so I can't see any benefit to lying about having done it. It wouldn't be needed to cover their backs as it were.

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

Were you supposed to have a scan as well? Whenever I went for an antenatal with my consultant I had a scan too beforehand, but the department was sometimes chaotic and people didn't always realise what they were supposed to have.

I would phone the antenatal clinic and check.

[Ivortheengine8]

Not a scan today Aliba just a consultation. Its possible Viva that's the case but it just makes me wonder how much 'confusion' is going on. They checked the FFHR at my 16 week but that was a different Dr.

[Trinaluce]

If nothing else it's a breach of the data protection act, which states that information kept on people must be clear, concise and ACCURATE. While your green book is not currently in your hospital notes, it will be and should be treated with the same level of care. If they say you had a test done which wasn't done, that renders the notes inaccurate. Definitely complain - and I agree about writing it onto your green book yourself. The hospital will have a record of who you saw.

[Ivortheengine8]

Thankyou Trin.

[Ivortheengine8]

One more thing that has just sprung to mind..................When they take the fundal height do they measure it with a tape measure?
She wrote down 21cm but I don't remember any tape measure?
Maybe she can tell just by feeling it?

[LifeOfKate]

Yes, they measure with a tape measure while you are lying on the bed/couch.

[Ivortheengine8]

Just makes me even more confused! I am sure I would have been aware of her doing that. She just had a quick feel of my tummy and said it was fine.

Anyway I have made a note of it in my notes now and dated it.

[Trinaluce]

They should for accuracy - but I didn't start having fundal height measured until 30 weeks. I wouldn't worry about that one too much, just make sure you notice next time because if they're doing it based on the length of their forearm or something then they're something very dangerous called a 'Calibrated Nurse/Midwife/Doctor'. 'Oh I know it's 21cm because it's exactly 21cm from my elbow to the tip of my index finger' - well yes it might have been when you started practising 24 years ago, but people have a tendency to shrink and expand. Murky waters...

[Ivortheengine8]

Trin, yes,it says in the notes they do it from about 25 weeks which is fine and I am not worried about it from that point of view, but I am just confused as to why she wrote it, as you say from an accuracy point of view and for the simple fact that she has written something down that simply isn't correct.
I think she just wanted rid of me, think I was the last patient of the morning!