Posted by Elaine on March 28, 1999, at 17:51:18
In reply to Re: Medical Records, posted by Elizabeth on March 28, 1999, at 2:04:48
> a "doctor knows best" attitude tends to foster dependency, which ought to be avoided.
>
>> How does a professional having private records foster dependency? Sometimes it's for your own good. ESPECIALLY in psychiatry - someone with emotional problems can more easily misinterpret something than anybody else. Sometimes there are things that can be shared, sometimes it is best that it not be.>
> It's perfectly fine to put this stuff in your diary or something, but a medical record is no place for it. ..to write them in someone's medical record, a legal document (!), seems unprofessional to say the least.A doctor can't be expected to remember everything. If something particular about a patient needs to be remembered, the medical record is the appropriate place. A professional can't keep a secret diary. Perhaps only sketchy notes could be made, just enough to remind him/her without being explicit. A doctor or therapist must be allowed to do his/her job, not have his/her primary concern be what may be discoverable. As an insurance adjuster and as an individual, I believe the current trend of "everyone has every right" and "let's sue if something goes wrong" has gone far overboard. Everybody has their hands tied behind their backs these days because they're afraid of being sued. Personally, I prefer that my doctor be reasonably allowed to do his/her job, even if it means making notes relevant to me, rather than getting me mixed up with another patient because nothing can be written down! As a patient, I am going to a doctor or therapist because I need help - I cannot do it myself - THEY ARE THE EXPERTS even though therapy is a joint effort. They DO have training and experience that I do not. Just because a lot of their notes are in a language I can understand, rather than technical language like a scientist or computer programmer, doesn't mean I have a greater right to access and *try* to correctly interpret them. As I have stated before, a good doctor or therapist would discuss their impressions, your progress, etc. - as long as they are willing to talk with you, why do you need to see exactly what they write? I think they need to be cautious, but do their job considering the majority rather than the occasional record that is subpoenaed, as long as they are ethical in their practice.
poster:Elaine
thread:3230
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990401/msgs/4129.html