Comments my gp left on my health record

[watermelonlipbalm]

Hi all, I'm just wanting an opinion as to whether it was appropriate for a GP to note these comments on my health record.
I've only just really realised that you have access to your medical records via the NHS app so I was having a nosy through them this morning and I was just a bit shocked to see what a GP had wrote.
I had a telephone call with a GP a few weeks ago. I actually obtained the contact details from the practice as to how to put a complaint in about the doctor because she really upset me with her attitude towards me and my worries when we had our telephone appointment. Unfortunately I just haven't gotten around to actually write the email yet, but nevertheless, the conversation did leave me feeling upset.
I won't go into exact detail, but I've been really worried about bleeding between my periods. It was completely unusual for me, it started faintly but ended up being quite heavy and I was passing a few clots aswell. Last year I had some bleeding between my periods, albeit completely different to this. I spoke to the Doctor Who referred me for bloods and a scan immediately. So I don't think it's surprising for me to not expect this to happen again. So when I had a telephone call from her I requested this and she shot me down pretty much straight away. She said that she would want me to bleed for three cycles before they would investigate further. I was quite surprised and just said that I didn't really agree with this and I would like to have bloods and a scan like I did last time. She became very abrupt with me at this point and despite agreeing to refer me she made it abundantly clear she wasn't happy about doing it and even said to me "i'm not gonna sit here on the phone arguing with you when I have other patients to call". The conversation wasn't an argument. It was me expressing my concerns and her not reassuring me enough for me to feel happy leaving the call. Whenever you see Doctors on telly, online, in magazines they're are always telling you that they are happy to help your queries. I did not get the impression from this doctor. And it just really upset me.
Anyway going back to the app this morning I noticed that she noted that the call was "a difficult call". Now I know that that isn't exactly an offensive term, but I don't really see the relevance of putting that on my health record. The call was a difficult call because she was clearly in a bad mood that day and wasn't that interested in my concerns. It's frustrated me even more than what I already was at a worrying time for me. I'm just after opinions really. Is this a relevant thing to put on a health record?
I work with vulnerable customers albeit in the financial industry and not medical. We would never be allowed to make a comment like that on somebody's file. You can only really state facts and not opinion. I mean I suppose is a fact that it was a difficult call, but I don't really see what relevance that has to my health and why it should be documented for other professionals to read. Insinuating that I was the one being difficult and not her which is what the issue actually was.

@wordler - this is not always the case. I am not a GP but work in a closely related field and am married to a GP. Sometimes a call is just difficult and it is appropriate to note that.

@watermelonlipbalm - glad the explanations have helped with something that you understandably didn't expect to see. Please don't think it's the GP writing in code about anything. In my opinion (non-medical) it's not.

Op you are not coming across very well on here! You come across as spiteful, vindictive and entitled. She gave you her advice and you refused to accept it, therefore she was perfectly right to say it was a difficult call. She didn't say anything rude about you so why make a complaint? As a GP she will have to justify why she is making unnecessary referrals and not following guidelines.

So the point of this thread really was to understand if those comments were justified. Many have told me it's normal so thanks for that, I really just wanted to know this.
I have some background just for context behind the post.

The point of this thread was not to get your opinion on whether I am justified to make a complaint. I haven't provided the full details of the call and nobody in this thread was part of that call to undserstand how I was spoken to. I find it really hard to understand how people can tell me I shouldn't complain when you know very little detail about the complaint itself.

I work in complaints and I know it's extremely important that complaints are logged and managed. I don't normally make them, I'm not a bad person. I'll make my own decision as to how I proceed, I never asked for advice on that. If some of you think I'm coming across badly, then it's probably because I'm receiving judgement on something I haven't asked for and my situation has been taken out of context a few times on this thread. If you think it's wrong to make a complaint about a doctor then we will agree to disagree. Doctors are still employees and have a duty of care and ethics. If they aren't doing their job properly or have caused distress to one person, then they could've done it to others. So just be weary if you think they don't deserve complaints.

Thanks to those who read the OP and provided a different angle on the matter. If it's normal it's normal, so be it! Having never seen medical records before I didn't know this hence why I asked, which there's nothing wrong with.

I have nothing else to say.

@SchnitzelVonCrummsTum thank you ☺️

That's good to know but such a short sentence is open to so much interpretation what would that mean to you if you were the next GP to take a consultation with the OP?

The call was difficult because the patient is difficult?
The call was difficult because we didn't agree on a good course of action?
The call was difficult because we disagreed and left on a bad note?

What internal feelings would you have when approaching a new patient for the first time that a colleague had warned had been 'difficult'?

Was it noted down in the notes for the benefit of the GP in case there was a complaint about her tone later on?
Was it noted down to provide a warning to the next GP? Or to remind the GP that they'd 'had a conflict' if it came up again.

I mean I was thrilled to be a 'very pleasant lady' on my referral letter but it was odd because I hadn't been particularly nice or otherwise in my 5-min appointment about my skiing injury.

I don't think it's an inappropriate comment to state that a consultation was a "difficult call"...because it sounds like it was one

As patients gain more access to their notes/entries there's going to be so much more of this going on!

And this is why if a patient is “difficult” or “unpleasant” I write out what they say word for word expletives included - has caused upset when they later read it but it is a factual record of the conversation. I would love all consultations to be recorded - I don’t have anything to hide!

OP if you are worried you have cervical cancer an ultrasound and blood tests are not going to help rule that out- someone needs to take a look at your cervix for that

Hi OP,
I’m not sure if a comment like that is normal or not, but I get why it would make you feel a bit uncomfortable.
I had similar symptoms 2 years ago and had blood tests, etc for a full year because they couldn’t work out what it was and I was becoming anemic from all the bleeding (with clots, etc).
At one point, they thought my pituitary gland was the cause but it turned out I was reacting really badly to the mini pill and my body just can’t handle it, was fine on the combined but not allowed to take it because I was a smoker. Just mentioning in case a change in contraception could be the cause for you? It’s so scary, isn’t it?

You click on "your health" and then GP Health record but might have to contact your GP surgery and ask for detailed coded access. The app will tell you that's what you need to do

I've included screenshots to show what I mean. I asked my GP for access about two years ago, was told by receptionist it'll take a little while and then nothing, I've asked again last week because a consultant told me I'd have been able to see blood and scan test results on there too instead of spending hours on hold to the GP surgery to find out results.

One one hand, OP, I can empathise. I had post-menopausal bleeding, and was put on the waiting list for a scan (12 weeks). Decided to get a private scan, which showed growths in my uterus. Immediately put on the urgent list for surgery, but pre-op checks revealed atrial fibrilation...Long story, but the locum GP neglected to submit the "all clear for surgery" report, and I ended up waiting way more than 12 weeks anyway, despite the "urgent" status of my surgery. I was very cross, as you can imagine, which I expressed verbally, and I read later on my notes "Mental health issues". My oncologist brother in the USA had told me, in consultation with his Ob-Gyn colleague, that I needed the surgery urgently, and emailed me regularly to check what was happening. Mistakes are made, reactions are noted, recollections may vary.
However, my very recent experiences, where my DH's aneurysm was diagnosed as a muscle sprain, and we were sent home from A&E with instructions to watch some Youtube videos about sitting properly at your computer chair to avoid problems made me pretty unhappy. DH ended up being helicoptered to a major hospital for urgent on a tennis-ball-sized aneurysm, and was unbelievably lucky to have survived. Believe me, I will have something to say about that. Specially as we were treated like idiots for thinking severe pain such as he was experiencing was a muscle sprain.

I agree that the core question is useful to pose for here. However, you did choose shared a lot about your intention to complain and it came across as bullying the doctor.

Specifically the words you have used make it sound like the complaints procedure would be a power trip for you. You hoped she might get retraining or spoken to or lose her job and used a smiley emoticon at the idea of consequences. A GP job is stressful and dealing with complaints (which most here don't think is deserved in this case) adds extra mental load. This context is relevant

i worry that behaviour like this could really impact how the health service is run and funded. And while you are just one person, it is worrying that others are probably doing the same.

In many ways MN posters are complaining but you are dismissing them..... Maybe this is a bit like the doctor? Surely complaints are only useful if there is a learning opportunity. Additionally, like the doctor, you are the expert of this scenario but choosing to dismiss. Do you think it could be hypocritical to dismiss everyone's opinion?

It sounds like you are getting top notch diagnosis investigation. They are going outside procedure to help you. Maybe a thank you letter is in order for going above and beyond.

I hope your results are negative again and you are safe and well.

It was a difficult call and actually I think it is relevant to your medical history. You know there are people that go around demanding treatment and tests that they don’t need because they like having procedures, she hasn’t gone as far as to suggest that, but it is perhaps useful background, just in case.

And yes, you had only just had scans and blood tests, i presume you are u to date with smear tests, I think it was reasonable to wait. It is not that unusual to have the occasional out of cycle bleed, I was regular as clockwork for thirty years but it still happened a couple of times.

'Hopefully she well get the further training and support that she clearly needs ☺️'

Yeah; it's silly little comments and emojis like this that make me - and many others on this thread - think you are indeed bloody difficult.

But it was a difficult call. I write medical notes as part of my job. Its factual. Have you checked nice guidelines re bleeding and Waiting so many more cycles till next scan

No we don't know "the full details of the call" and also it's true "nobody in this thread was part of that call to undserstand how I was spoken to."

Works both ways though, we have no idea how you spoke to the GP either. Though we can get an idea from your responses on the thread. After all no nobody retells an even on AIBU with the truth, and generally go to great pains to let people know how reasonable they were.

From what you have told us it appears you demanded, though you seem to disagree with "demand", so let's say "strongly requested" repeat tests because the last set hadn't shown up the cancer you're convinced you have (which you admit you feel because you have (self-diagnosed?) health anxiety.

Your GP informed you you'd need to wait three cycles but you disagreed because last time you didn't have to wait and you wanted that again.(Despite the fact that last time you hadn't already had a scan, so it's not the same situation.)

The GP, goes against her advice of waiting and agrees to the scan, because you strongly requested it so much.

You the "aren't happy to leave the call" (in other words refused to leave the call, but another word you objected to) until the GP reassures you that you are right to want a scan and that you could have cervical cancer. (It also comes across that somewhere along the line you mention that you think you might have cervical cancer and the GP doesn't think that.)

So now there's a scan happening that the GP advised against that she'll need to justify having booked. The reason it's booked it because of you requesting it during a 'difficult call' call, and that fact is recorded in your notes.

Would you prefer it written that you demanded it because you are convinced you have cervical cancer?

OP You requested to have tests done, the GP said no. However, you wouldn't take no for an answer which is what turned your request into a demand. You made that phone call expecting to get the tests done and you weren't willing to leave the phone call until the GP had booked them.. seriously can you not seee how difficult this is?

This thread just shows how long the medical service standards are here in UK. The patient was dismissed as being difficult for asking for a rather routine test which they led to believe are fairly standard given the previous experience. Instead of communicating politely about whatever guidelines (assuming they exist), reassure the patient that from their point of view they have nothing to worry about at this stage the doctor branded her 'difficult' to make sure every other consultant/go reading her note will be informed of their perception and actually told her she is not going to waste more time on the phone as there more important patients waiting. It is literally a part of GP's job to answer patients questions about their health. The patients are not supposed made feel like they are causing annoyance and inconvenience. But of course people immediately defend GP as they might get upset and leave if the patient complains. It is a well known fact women in UK are regularly dismissed, especially when it concerns any gynecological issues, no wonder most don't have enough with such attitudes in the society.

Bollocks. Total and utter bollocks.

This is a perfect example of your rudeness and arrogance. I can only imagine how difficult the call was for the GP. You had already been seen once and had scans, you then came back with another set of symptoms and had swabs and then you went back again to ask for further scans, in the meantime you had wound yourself into a frenzy thinking you had cervical cancer. Indeed you appear to have started several threads regarding your symptoms on Mumsnet, I presume you started multiple threads to get either the attention or answers you wanted. Whether you have health anxiety of whether you are simply difficult and demanding is difficult to know, but the way you have posted on this thread to anyone who disagrees with you, suggests the latter.

It did sound like a difficult call though. The doctor had a way of doing things (like she’s trained to), and you tried to tell her to do things differently. As someone above said ‘difficult call’ was a diplomatic way of saying it and whoever looks at the notes will know that you aren’t on the same page as the doctor on that issue.

Everything else aside, it’s factual - the call was difficult.

And that’s a basis for your complaint, the fact that the GP put it on your records, not the call itself.

Consider wasting yours and the GPs time.

The doctor sounds very judgemental imo. On a tangent I read my mum's old take a break etc magazines and I don't think a week goes by without at least 1 case where someone has been severely affected by medical mismanagement, mainly symptoms being ignored and made to feel a nuisance. I hope everything is fine with you OP, you've just questioned one of the mumsnet Sacred Cows so I'm not surprised by some of the responses.

It was a very difficult call so worth acknowledging and recording this. I don’t get your issue to be honest, it’s not like she wrote you were a a bitch.

reading your posts though, do you think you’re an over sensitive and argumentative person?