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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be furious that my doctor has "behavioural problem" recorded on my son's medical notes

45 replies

deaconblue · 27/04/2009 20:22

Took ds (3) to the dr today with a sore throast. He hasn't been ill for over a year so we haven't been. Dr asked "how are things with his behavioural problems?" I replied "he hasn't got any behavioural problems" thinking she must have got the wrong notes on her screen. Turns out that because a year ago I telephoned the health visitor for some advice on ways to deal with the hitting phase he went through when dd was born behavioural problems got recorded on his notes.
Am I being over the top to be grrrrrrrr about this? I feel like he's been labelled and I certainly won't be asking for any more advice from the HV, particularly as she didn't have anything useful to suggest that time anyway.

OP posts:
Wallace · 27/04/2009 20:26

YANBU

I'm lost for words really

potatofactory · 27/04/2009 20:26

It was probably not intended as a label which would be permanent. Some recording doesn't seem inappropriate to me. It's a description, like 'skin problems' not necessarily a label. The doctor may have asked to see if it could be removed from record now resolved.

nellynaemates · 27/04/2009 20:27

I think you're being a little over-sensitive, you were having problems dealing with your son's behaviour and your HV recorded behavioural problems. Probably to save the time it would take to write what you've just written, which would of course be more accurate.

It's just unfortunate that the doctor probably didn't know what she meant by behavioural problems when he read it.

I think it's great that he's actually reading your son's notes and asking how he's doing in reference to them though, could be a lot worse!!

AlistairSim · 27/04/2009 20:28

Blimey, that's a bit harsh!

How did the Doctor respond? Did she change the notes?

Numberfour · 27/04/2009 20:30

YANBU. i would have been livid.

Behavioural problems fgs!

hope the doc put the notes right.

seriouscase · 27/04/2009 20:31

I would be upset too at this. It is a very unfortunate choice of words.
However nellynaemates makes a good point that at least the doctor showed interest in your child overall.

RaspberryBlower · 27/04/2009 20:32

You asked them for advice regarding his behaviour, so 'behavioural problems' is not wrong, but it is a description which could be seen as labelling so yanbu from that perspective.

You could ask them to remove it.

Original poster
deaconblue · 27/04/2009 20:37

I didn't make a big deal this afternoon, just said "oh that, he just went through a bit of a smacking phase, that was ages ago". It was only after I got home I felt a bit irritated by the term used. I do think that HV should let you know when you first come into contact with them that absolutely everything may get recorded. I had no idea that a request for some advice would be recorded on medical notes.

OP posts:
snowmummy · 27/04/2009 21:02

YANBU - the term 'behavioural problems' suggests a whole host of problems and shouldn't be used just because you asked for some advice on how to handle a particular problem which occured at a particular time.

If it was used in this context then I reckon you could label every toddler as having behavioural problems!!

Sidge · 27/04/2009 21:12

Well being rather contraversial here, but hitting is a behavioural problem. In that it's a behaviour that is undesirable, you sought advice from a HCP so could be seen as a problem.

However I can understand why you are cheesed off, and maybe next time you are at the docs ask them to clarify where in his notes it has been recorded. If it's in text as part of a conversation with the HV then it is less relevant than if they've put it under 'medical conditions' as a sort of diagnosis.

edam · 27/04/2009 21:12

You are entitled to ask the surgery to amend your son's notes. And I would, in your shoes. HV was not thinking straight - this phrase was not an appropriate way of recording your conversation. (Docs and nurses etc. - I know notes have to be brief, but really, this is way out of all proportion.)

ShowOfHands · 27/04/2009 21:14

I do like the fact that the GP asked though.

FairLadyOfMuslinCloth · 27/04/2009 21:26

hmmm...but sidge at age 2 hitting isn't an unusual behaviour, it is a problematic phase...but sure behavioural problems are a bit more and out of the ordinary....

so op, yanbu imo....
however, not sure about what type of documentation they use, and it could be a problem with that, rather than HV labelling your son, iykwim

katiestar · 27/04/2009 21:29

I think you are over reacting Nowadays clinicians have to record everything in medical notes .
You reported what was a 'behavioural' problem' and they have recorded that in his notes. The GP asked you about it so now he can record that it has resolved itself

MmeLindt · 27/04/2009 21:35

Behavioural problems sounds more like ongoing problems with his behaviour not a phase that he is going through so it was inaccurately phrased.

Added to that, it is not likely to give anyone else reading the notes any help whatsoever to read that. Why record something and not at least put a short description of the issue.

"ShoppingDS is finding it difficult to cope with the arrival of baby sister, advice on strategies to help resolve issue given"

missorinoco · 27/04/2009 21:39

one does have to document almost everything now. the gp today may have amended the notes, and probably will have if they asked in the first place.

if this was me it would bother me too, even though i can see how it happened. next time you see the gp mention it, and ask if they could ensure that someone documents the "problem" is sorted.

one the positive side, it does sound like you have a good gp though to read back through the notes.

Numberfour · 27/04/2009 21:44

doc could easily have worded it far more sensitively: i see from the notes that blah blah blah was noted XXXXX days / months ago. how are things now? are there still problems? have matters resolved themselves?

i still think YANBU!

BalloonSlayer · 27/04/2009 21:54

I thought a behavioural problem was a problem with behaviour.

So when my DS1 wore my patience atom-thin with his behaviour when he was 4/5, I would have asked for advice, because I had a problem with it.

If that had been put on his notes as "behavioural problems" would I have had a . . . erm . . . problem?

I dunno. I didn't think so before reading this thread. AIBU?

FairLadyOfMuslinCloth · 27/04/2009 22:03

Surely seeking advice from your HV about something that is normal, but still can be difficult to deal with is still different to true behaviour problems....
surely it would be ridiculous to label a child of 2 with behavioural problems because they display typical terribe 2's tantrums....
a better phrase to use would have been, I see your child went through a difficult phase , has this resolved...blablabla....

I do think that behabioural problems mean a bit more than "difficult" but normal behabiour within the Life developemetal phase....

troutpout · 27/04/2009 22:14

I think you are being a little bit sensitive
It's not a label...merely a description of something you asked for advice about.

Technofairy · 27/04/2009 22:28

Hmmm

A junior paeds registrar wrote in DS medical file that he was 'manipulative, difficult and defiant' when his distress stopped her having a third cackhanded attempt at putting yet another canula in his hand while he was in hospital after neurosurgery. He was 8 and it was actually the ward sister and us that stopped her trying again. He was doped up on morphine and had 32 staples down the back of his head so I think he'd just had enough.

That was probably (adopts Geordie accent) day 21 and canula 15 during his 5 week stay due to a brain tumour!!

Unfortunately for her his medical notes were my nightly bedtime reading - we lived in - and needless to say we went bonkers - as did the ward sister - resulting in an apology from the consultant and registrar and the offending comments being marker penned out.

If you're not happy ask for them to be removed or edited so they are at least in context.

thedolly · 27/04/2009 22:28

I agree with Numberfour - the Dr has communication problems. YANBU.

Sidge · 27/04/2009 22:50

If they are electronic notes they may not be able to remove or edit them, as post-Shipman there are pretty tight rules about what can and can't be done to notes.

RaspberryBlower · 28/04/2009 07:38

I write electronic notes about people in my job and I cannot remove them myself, but I can ask for them to be removed and I have to say why. I assume some record is kept about this in order to avoid any shenanigans.

I imagine it will be the same in the health service. People make mistakes so it must be possible to remove or at least ammend the note.

Technofairy - that is unbelievable! What a terrible thing to write about anyone, let alone a distressed 8 year old.

I always try, when writing notes, to think of the person and how they would feel if they read them (which they well may do).

chocolateismyonlyweakness · 28/04/2009 08:29

I am just wondering about this....if any of us requested our medical notes, would we have any access to electronic notes or just those on paper?

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