Proper Charting Can Lead to a Reduced Number of Medical Errors
When important health or drug information is not recorded, ask.
Despite what it says on a chart, medical staff should always ask about a patient's history of allergies. What if that information was not recorded? Relying solely on the information that is presented in a chart could result in a patient being exposed to an allergen. In a perfect world, the moment that patient is admitted to a hospital, their allergies are flagged and labels that indicate those allergies are placed in the chart and on the person’s bracelet in their room. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and that information might not be caught. This is why it is critical to ask repeatedly throughout the patient's stay about their allergy history to drugs and food.
