Connecting Poor Record Keeping & Medical Malpractice

Posted on October 17, 2023 in Medical Malpractice

Medical records play a crucial role in diagnosing. When a person goes to the doctor or hospital, their medical history is one of the first things doctors or nurses will ask about. Medical history helps to guide current treatment when it comes to establishing a diagnosis and forming a path to treatment moving forward. Additionally, healthcare professionals must properly document a person’s current medical issues so that there is no confusion or misunderstanding with treatment plans.

However, if medical records are inaccurate or incomplete, this could affect the treatment that an individual receives from healthcare professionals. Here, we want to discuss whether or not poor record-keeping could lead to a medical malpractice claim.

Common Medical Record Mistakes

There are various types of medical mistakes that can lead to major harm to a patient. Some of these issues include the following:

• Recording incorrect symptoms. When a patient is initially seen by medical professionals as well as during the continual care they receive, the correct symptoms must be recorded in order for treatment to proceed properly.
• Recording inaccurate medical conditions. Complex medical jargon often leads to confusion when multiple people are looking at a patient’s records. Conditions could be confused or mixed up, and misspellings can happen that lead to incorrect interpretations of the records.
• Errors with treatment history. The entire treatment history from the moment a patient enters a medical facility must be correctly recorded. This is a narrative that medical professionals will use as the patient moves from one provider to another, for example, going from the emergency room to other areas of the hospital.
• Treating the wrong patient. Communication errors could lead to a medical provider mixing up two patients. This leads to two separate individuals becoming vulnerable to complications, particularly if medications are administered.
• Incomplete medical history. It is crucial for medical providers to have as complete of a patient’s medical history as possible. This is not always an option in an emergency situation, but a medical history for the patient should be obtained as quickly as possible.

Inaccurate Medical Records and Medical Malpractice

Inaccurate medical records can create immediate issues for a patient as well as significant long-term complications if any inaccuracies are not corrected promptly. Unfortunately, this can lead to a patient sustaining unexpected injuries or illnesses that should have never occurred in the first place.

If you or somebody you care about has been harmed due to the careless or negligent record-keeping of a medical provider, we encourage you to contact an attorney as soon as possible. When you have a skilled Portland medical malpractice attorney by your side, you will have an advocate ready to examine the facts of your case, enlist assistance from trusted medical providers, and help you recover compensation for your losses.

If it can be proven that inaccurate medical records were the fault of a medical provider or facility, patients who sustained injuries or illnesses may be able to recover compensation for their losses. This can include coverage of medical bills associated with the inaccurate medical records, lost wages if a victim is unable to work while they recover, as well as various physical and emotional pain and suffering damages.