I know the NHS is stretched but...

[slinkycat]

Why, when you are in hospital, do you get one after another doctor come round, and they all ask "Why are you here, what led to you being here?" etc etc?
They have the notes, surely it would be easier and quicker to read through them rather than asking the patient over and over for their details each time they are transferred to a different ward?
Insight from any NHS staff would be much appreciated, TIA

[Ann]

To make sure you are still in the land of the living?:)

[anneasquith]

in case you die alone on a hospital trolley in A&E department. :)

[welshlibranr]

they can't be bothered to read your notes!........easier to ask you!....

[shoota]

Interrogation technique - big brother wants to know if your story stays the same.

[boxtops]

Because the notes aren't always written up as quickly as they should be - the days of the electronic note reader in the doctor's hand are a long way off yet.

[slinkycat]

Thanks for your input ladies, but this is a serious question:-)
My Dad is in hospital at the moment, hopefully this time he will get the pacemaker it seems he needs.
Btw anneasquith he had an episode while waiting on the trolley in a&e, so please, informed answers only

[Ann]

To see if you can remember and your brain isn't befuddled? When my elderly Mum was in hospital recently they came round regularly asking them all in her ward the name of the Prime Minister. The little old lady (who looked at deaths door) next to Mum suddenly blew her top and yelled " its David Whatisname, I keep on telling you, and I voted for the other one!!!!"
Pure hilarious!

[slinkycat]

Can understand that boxtops, but... the doctors have a sheaf of notes in my fathers case, including heart readouts from the day before and going back months.
Just seems like a waste of resources when they can't correlate it all, not to mention frustrating for an already stressed and scared patient

[shoota]

Surely it would be an icebreaker? A conversation starter that would also serve to check whether the patient was still sentient and compos mentos?
Also the last time I was in hospital the Docs used the initial few seconds of conversation to check the notes at the same time rather than just standing there silent.

[slinkycat]

Nope can't agree with that shoota, though wish I could, but one of the doctors who saw my dad obviously hadn't a clue about any of his medical history.
I have to say though that the cardiac nurse who saw him in a&e was brilliant, so patient and caring, and he took the time to put my father at ease, and explain the likely outcome to us all

[Sqad]

What a very very interesting question slinky and the reasons are multifactorial but i will give you what i consider to be the most important in my opinion.

The young doctor of 40 years ago worked for a consultant and it was his/her job to know and look after the consultants patients. Know their name, age medical history, medications, prognosis and future plans. This would take half an hour more more going through one patient's notes, but at the end of it you would know everythng about that patient which was essential, as you would be responsible for that patient 24/7.
No days off, no shifts, but the occasional weekend off if cover was available.

Now the hospital doctors are by law only allowed to work so many hours a week, weekends off, study leave, day off to go to grandma's funeral, day off to get married, counselling sessions for stress due to overwork........etc......so you see, the patient will be seen and interrogated by any doctor that happens to be on and he starts the history all over again.

[fruitsalad]

I can understand what you are getting at slinky when my dad was very ill and in and out of hospital every doctor that saw him and each time he had to go to hospital he was ask him if he was or had been a smoker sometimes he was asked the same question 2 or 3 times on the same day surely his answer was on the paperwork they carried around with them

[Euphemia]

During my recent hospital stay, the medics consulted the patients' individual files outside the ward door so this problem never arose.

[slinkycat]

Thanks for all the input, I've been backwards and forwards to the hospital so only just had chance to get back on here.
That reason makes sense Sqad, so basically the answer is to employ lots more doctors so that they have time to read up on the notes beforehand, and at the same time do not go back to working silly hours? Shame that is not likely to happen!
Btw Shoota, I re-read your reply and can see where you are coming from with it being an icebreaker , but it is incredibly frustrating for a patient to be asked the same thing over and over, perhaps the doc should chat about the weather or sport or whatever while catching up with the notes!