Review Your Patient Chart

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Medical Care

Guess what every patient in a hospital has? No, we’re not speaking of those less-than-attractive hospital gowns or the plastic ID bracelets. The answer is a patient chart. Although the chart is legally the property of the hospital and generally kept at a nursing station, the patient should be aware of its content. Ask your doctor for an explanation. The chart may contain the following:

• Your medical history.

• Hospital laboratory results.

• Lists of medications (doses and schedules).

• Special treatments or therapy.

• Dietary restrictions or recommendations (low-sodium diet, for example).

• Scheduled diagnostic procedures (such as X-rays).

• Surgical notes (length of operation, assisting medical staff, type of anesthesia administered, recovery notes).

If you suspect a problem or error–in how often you are being given medication, for instance–ask a nurse or your doctor to show you your chart and explain what is written there.