To have asked my gp to amend my medical records?

[Shapelyglass]

Having my third miscarriage right now. So I went to my GP for pain relief as paracetamol isn't cutting it.

I could see on the screen that it said I had a termination of pregnancy last year, I didn't I had a medical management of miscarriage and I had to go to BPAS because the waiting time was 6 weeks for treatment in the hospital and it had already been 3 weeks since I had been diagnosed with a miscarriage with nothing happening. It was fucking horrific that I had to sort it out myself and then to have it on my medical records is a joke

Aibu to ask my gp to amend this?

I wouldn't like that either but not sure it will make a difference to any treatment you receive?

YANBU
Def push for the correct info on your notes
Sorry you’ve been through this x

YANBU.
I had a tfmr at Marie Stopes for t21 and a very poorly baby.
I asked that my notes reflect that I had requested that it be referred to as a loss or a late mc if speaking to me, not a termination as it was a very wanted baby.

I'm not sure it will make much difference but the gp mentioned it and I was like no!

Most surgeries will have a Surgery Manager, often with an email or phone number on the surgery website This is something you could take up with them.

I'm so sorry for your losses and of course your current situation. My thoughts are with you.
This is going back around 36 years ago so Wether it's still acurate or not I don't know, but When my mum was having a mc.
Her auntie went with her to hospital with her and one of the medics said. Abortion coming through. Her auntie got really upset and said. It's a not an abortion it's a miscarriage. They said oh In medical terms we class it as the same thing which is totally unfair because an abortion is a choice, miscarriages. However please do speak to your doctor. Like I say the information I'm giving you is almost 40 years old.

Under the DPA/GDPR you have the Right of Rectification... ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/right-to-rectification/

Totally not unreasonable, of course there is a big difference in terms of perception. I just wanted to make you aware before you ask that the new info will likely be added rather than the original record being totally deleted. Guidance for Drs on this issue here www.medicalprotection.org/uk/articles/eng-medical-records explains they have to keep the original description but put a note next to it for audit reasons.

The note probably wasn’t written that way to make a judgement, just unfortunately medical records don’t always reflect that type of context. I hope this helps and if you feel it would be useful, you can ask for an appointment to read the full entry which might give more details (this is likely a summary in your ‘past significant medical history’ which appears at the top of the record)

Yanbu, official records should be accurate, especially on such a sensitive subject

YANBU. I would put it in writing to the practice manager and ask them to confirm when it has been changed.

I would imagine the GP was horrified to have put his/her foot in it like that and may have already amended the record but agree to speak to practice manager. The original record may have said "spontaneous abortion" (ie medical term for miscarriage) but have been pulled forward through your notes wrongly. It can be corrected.

Yanbu op. I had a tfmr a couple of years ago due to a fatal condition.

When I went to get a fit note for my employers I had to explain everything to the Dr as it said that I'd had an induction on my medical records. He even opened with "how's the baby , is it still in hospital?" as he didn't realise what had happened until I spoke up.

Yes she was absolutely horrified that A) I had to go to BPAS to recover from the miscarriage.. and B) it's written in my notes as a termination of pregnancy.

I tell you something though this GP surgery are something else, I was told in my previous gps that there was nothing they could do for recurrent miscarriage and my new go has booked me for a blood test tomorrow to test for anti-phospholipid syndrome. She also said she can refer to the fertility clinic when we're ready

My GP surgery has a sign up which says that Dr A and Dr B won’t treat patients who are enquiring about termination or have had one in the past. YANBU to want your records corrected. It could affect who treats you in future.

@LlamaPyjamas are you serious?

@llamapyjamas

Wtf? Are you in the UK?

@Shapelyglass, I'm so sorry. You are absolutely not unreasonable at all.

I don't want to hijack, but @LlamaPyjamas they won't treat anyone who has ever had a termination? Why? Not even if they are coming in with something like suspected dementia or whatever?!

Yes I’m serious. Yes I’m in the UK. The doctors names on the sign are both Asian so I’m wondering if it’s a cultural thing.

I don’t know what they’d do if you came in with dementia. The sign states that these two don’t deal with people who want/had abortions but the surgery will be happy to accommodate you with a different GP.

Not to hi jack but it’s perfectly acceptable practice in uk to refuse to participate in termination-either by counselling and referral in primary care or in actually carrying out the procedure. It’s pretty much the only procedure that uk doctors may abstain from HOWEVER they are required to ensure women are able to see a colleague who can help them and this should not have any bearing on seeing them for other medical issues so @llamapyjamas practice sounds bang out of order!

My point was this can’t be the only example in the country of GPs choosing not to treat patients on this basis. So OP is correct to want her records amended in case she one day gets refused treatment.

Absolutely although I would be disgusted to find a colleague refusing to see a patient because of historical termination too

I am so sorry for your loss.

I had a termination after having DC1 and then went on to have two miscarriages; with one of the miscarriages I had to have emergency surgery one night and on my notes, it was the same treatment as with the termination. It made everything feel much worse but the nurse explained in medical terms they are the same. Not that it helps but that’s how it was explained to me at the hospital.

YANBU
yes it can affect who treats you as some GPs or nurses don't believe in abortions/terminations but it's also a personal thing,

I have seen a few doctors who don't believe in termination have one at our group practice a neighbour tried going for one and he refused (a doctor who refuses should refer you to someone who will but ours has apparently not )

Not sure refusing to treat patients who have ever had a termination is in keeping with the GMC's Good Medical Practice guidelines - unless there are quite a few other doctors at the place ensuring patients receive timely treatment and aren't discriminated against.