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Why it is important to read the after visit Doctor's notes.
I learned this lesson too late. But it is really important to read the after visit notes in the online patient online portals like "My Chart". Due to a change in my insurance right after my PC diagnosis I needed to get a new primary care doctor and new urologist. I already had the prostate biopsy done with the original urologist. I had an aggressive form of PC and decided surgery was my best option. When I saw my new urologist I explained to him that I had already made my mind up for surgery. He didn't try to change my mind but did go over the possible/probable side effects. When he got to the sexual dysfunction part I told him that I was fully aware of that. I told him that I was gay and single and that the only person that would matter to was me.
He did the surgery and then I needed salvage radiation as well. When that failed I decided that I needed to get an GU Oncologist. I was getting all my info together for my first visit to the oncologist when I went back and read the urologists notes after my first visit. Much to my surprise his note read something like 'I spent an hour and 45 minutes with Robert and his wife today explaining what the options and potential side effects were and they decided for surgery (RRP).'
If I would have read that right after the visit I would never have seen the man again. His after visit notes made it clear that he wasn't listening to me and that he was just cutting and pasting his after visit notes for another patient. I was alone when I saw him and the visit was about 20 minutes long. I would never recommend him or his practice to anyone.
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I remember some months ago someone posted about telling their doctor that they didn't drink and the doctor put down that they were a heavy drinker (or something like that--not sure if I'm fully remembering it correctly). But it's super important to review the notes I agree! And to let them know in writing so they can update the notes or write a new one. If you tell them verbally they may or may not do anything re corrections.
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3 ReactionsI always read and download the notes. I love my urologist, he was the guy who took my kidney and the guy that took my prostate but it was funny because, and this was 10 years ago when I just got a printout before portals were really much of a thing, he wrote "patient has a well formed healthy circumcised penis" and it was a joke between me and my wife for years because the next time I went in I said "doc, I think something happened because since our last visit something seems to have grown back....".
I never took it personally - at first I was concerned because I thought he just wasn't paying attention, but now I look back and realize a couple things. First, they DICTATE their notes, and that technology has always been and continues to be imperfect and I've seen so many doctors this time around and read so many notes that had inconsequential errors that I have to remember that those things don't impact my life, my treatment nor my confidence in my doctors because I know that it may not be what they really meant for that note to say.
Of course it can go the other way, but we have to remember that we do all think we are special and important because this is a really big deal to us but that doc sees 50 people a day and it's just a cattle farm. It's sad that so many folks have cancer but it's life. My hospital is quadrupling in size and the new wings are 100% for cancer treatment.
I agree you should always read the notes. With my ADT Tx, I have experienced an increase in memory recall - thus the notes/summary helps. Sometimes that are just cut and paste redundant
info and other times they can be really good. I recently met with a new urologic oncologist and his note were very complete. The next time I saw him I remarked that I appreciated his notes. Just a little compliment for his ego. I met with him today and read his note this afternoon - they were even more precise that the first one
I always take a notebook with "my agenda items" to my visits. I think he appreciates we need to stay focused for our short visit time. Obviously if he has items - let's have them Doc.
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1 ReactionSurvivor 5280, I agree that it is important to download and read the post visit notes on the doctor's patient portal. There are times when I have had to correct the doctor concerning something that was incorrect. I don't think it was a dictation error but rather him starting with a template and not adjusting all of the right variables concerning my appointment or exam.
I gather from your first paragraph that you are uncircumcised but that he noted you were circumcised. I'm betting that probably 90% of his patients are circumcised based on the prevalence of circumcision among American men of an age that they have developed prostate cancer, and that the template he works from probably notes the patient is circumcised. Frankly I would be flattered if one of my urologists noted my penis was "well formed", but the best that's been said of my shrunken member is "normal, circumcised". Increasingly the skin is rolling over and it wouldn't surprise me if some future urologist noted me as uncircumcised.
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2 ReactionsThere's worse things he could have called my penis!
Template or not, my point really is that doctors are humans and if the template or dictation or whatever causes errors in the notes then I brush it off, there's bigger fish to fry. The notes don't necessarily translate to treatment options or change outcomes, those would be discussed with the patient and can be corrected. If he'd said "well, because you are circumcised we want to go this route..." then I would have corrected him and dropped my drawers to prove it :).