hi- was thinking about this and cant seem to find any info on the subject.
on a previous visit to my asthma consultants they didnt have any details about when id been ill or admitted to hospital etc they actually had that i was doing great with only one trigger (definately not and i am having attacks several times a week with loads of things setting me off). also had no info about what my triggers are (was seeing the resp team who know what they are but not seen them in ages after feeling very put out by one of the members of staff, but thats another story). anyway what im asking is do different medical departments when related such as these not share the information. i just get sick and actually forget information after having to remember dates etc- surely the nhs should be be able to have some type of linked info when its actually relevant?
13 Replies
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everytime u sign in at reception desk and they put your details in, they log u into system. so all your details should come up with a list of all your previous attewndances to A+E also.
same for other hospitals.
also, will show what outpatient clinics you have attended at same hospital, as well as showing inpatient records - on diff system
x
I'm afraid my experience isn't what Snowygirl suggests should happen. I've had a nightmare with different departments not talking to each other or knowing what each other is doing. I can just about understand when a consultant in one London hospital doesn't share info with a consultant in another, but when consultants in the same hospital don't, it drives me mad, and as you say, often if you're feeling unwell, the last thing you can do is remember every detail they need - but then it feels like your fault if you miss something off!
I'm having the same (expensive) test twice, a week apart, in the same hospital, because two consultants can't talk to each other (a floor apart!) and share results. I've had multiple blood tests for the same thing weeks apart because they don't share results. It really does make me cross because it wastes my time, their time, NHS money and has the potential if I forget something important to affect me medically.
I thought all records were supposed to be put on some central computer, but I certainly haven't seen any evidence of this.
Having worked in various hospitals and been to outpatients (not for asthma), know what you mean. There is no centralised system. A lot of people objected to NHS Summary Care Records when asked.
Have seen what Snowygirl mentions but it is very user/locality dependant.
There is seperate systems for PACS i.e. radiology (xrays/scans) reports and pathology i.e. test results which generally GPs and hospitals in the same area can access. I don't know if there is any system for sharing information esp re admissions, many places just write in your notes still. I know one area in the Southwest had a central documents system for letters which hospitals could send GP letters through and all letters generally would be on there.
:S
PACS -xrays/scans, yes my gp was able to access these at the surgery sometimes!
the only other central point i know is the gp as on discharge from hospital and A+E, the GP should automatically get sent a copy of your dischrge summary from then. but then again, i am with you guys on this, i have had experience where my gp hadnt had the summaries of my A+E attendances or my blood results from there either....
x
So understand the frustration Jay39, currently my hospital notes are a foot deep, and there are 6 volumes of them. This has been causing major problems because so often I am having to repeat myself and stuff that is of major importance gets buried within them never to see the light of day again.
But all is not lost, my notes after many rangles are being summarized. That is all the stuff that those poor little junior doctors have to take down on admission to hospital and A & E is being archived. Hospital discharge summaries will also have the same treatment. Then all my current medical issues will each been summarized by the appropriate medical teams. And finally some poor little mite gets to write a general summary of the whole lot, which I will get give the okay on, and carry a copy for emergency admissions. Hopefully all my problems will be solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAY BE YOU CAN SUGGEST THE ABOVE TO YOUR MEDICAL CARE GIVERS!
oh just another little moan here about hospitals- when i was in i had 2 reactions to drugs that i was given for a chest infection. one made me vomit so bad that i could have reached the other side of the ward lol and the other made me look like a burns victim as it caused a very very red rash. when asked if im allergic to anything i explain this but was so out of it that i dont know the names- and apparently neither do the staff as it wasnt marked down. had a vomiting reaction again very recently in a n e and they had no idea about this either? this has happened several times now. maybe i should concentrate on keeping my own medical records- i know in this instance its no big deal but i would hate to think of people having severe reactions
Katina, that sounds fantastic and exactly what I need - I am also of the medical notes coming in volumes crowd! Do you know if this is something countrywide or am I going to get looked at strangely (nothing new there!!) if I suggest it?
Jay, re. drug reactions, I make sure I have them written down in big red letters on the A4 sheet I carry with important info. I'm severely allergic (anaphylaxis) to a common drug used in hospital yet I found out recently that this wasn't written in any prominent place in my hospital medical notes. Very scary.
Ratty, could you perhaps get one of those Medicalert bracelets? The staff might pay attention if they saw one of those and (hopefully) check it. I don't know much about getting them but there was a leaflet in my GP's waiting room.
Not such a big deal for me as very luckily I'm not allergic to anything (that I'm aware of), but I can tell this records thing will be an issue when I go for my appt at the end of March. I was referred, and discharged, in London, now moved to Oxford and referred there. I have no idea if my GP even has any info or notes from my GP in London (though they do have my consultant's discharge letter because I was still seeing the London hospital when I moved and I managed to change GPs officially before it was sent).
The likelihood of the Oxford hospital having any access to my notes/test results from London is probably 0. Which isn't life-threatening in this instance (and could even be a benefit, strangely, as might make them more open to considering other options if they have to start again). However, it will be a pain as it would be useful for them to have eg spirometry results, CXRs to compare, and I'm just going to have to hope they believe me when I tell them the heart tests and the VQ scan were normal, otherwise I'll have to have them again if they think it's an issue - not a huge deal, but still a waste of their time, my time and NHS money - and something like a VQ scan is an issue because it's radiation exposure that, while not huge on its own, would add up and shouldn't be repeated unnecessarily. Not saying I think they will in my case but I bet it happens when notes aren't organised properly.
Maybe they'll be more organised than I give them credit for and will have all this at their fingertips...hmm, anyone into betting? Sorry for long post btw!
TO RATTY:
Nope not nation wide, just something my skin nurse suggested because like me fed up of running back and forth because nothing is together.
I think this is a really interesting topic jay39 as i have been referred to respiratory specialists in my 20's, 30's and now in my 40's, each in a different hospital and i have had to completely rely on my memory to give them the information as they have no access to previous history.
If you have allergies you should get a medical alert bracelet, I got mine from ice gems, and it doesnt look too in your face, but its enough to waft in someone's face when I am ill. I am allergic to atrovent, which they always try and give me when I am having an attack so its come in very useful.
I also always have a list of my medications with me and I keep my last few discharge summaries with my drugs bag.
I know from working in the ED that getting your hospital notes and getting the time to read them is incredibly difficult, so its good to have something to give them to save yourself the effort of having to go through it all again. I know too that in my hospital that ED notes dont make it to your hospital notes unless you are admitted, they are just kept on the system, so its worth making a note of these yourself.
In the last 6 months I have seen five different Drs in clinic and I have had to exlplain everything to each one of them again and again, its incredibly frustrating so I know how you feel!
I carry in my bag with my nebs a print out i have compilled of a brief medical history(still a4 size!!) a page with contact details GP and main condidtions and on the back a list of all my meds plus dosage and what i take them for.
The paramedics love me for this a it means they dont need to stress me out by talking, they dont need to ring medic alert and then they pass it onto the drs in rsus wo again find it a very useful stopgap until they can access either my notes or admission/discharge summary.
Saying that i still have a medic alert bracelt as i can go off so quickly and i also have cardiac issues that cause me tp pass out so wouldnt be able to tell anyone about the info in my bag- it also alerts members of the public that i have medical issues and not drunk(im also insulin dependant diabetic)
sos accessories are great- apparently you can even get an app sos now lol. i always wear mine around my neck so its on display on the rare occassions im out on my own-just in case. at least yesterday when i was in the docs did know the name of one of the antibiotics i react to which is an improvement. still managed to vomit for the uk and still have a itchy rash that they cant explain but hey ho. actually asked the docs why for example my resp consultant didnt know when id been in etc and apparently its because it can take them months to update the system! i was also told better to keep own records, but since early january ive already been doing this as ive got a terrible memory.....glad im not the only one whos had bother cheers all x
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