1. All About Medical Care

360. Review Your Patient Chart

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:

1. •Your medical history.
   

2. •Hospital laboratory results.
   

3. •Lists of medications (doses and schedules).
   

4. •Special treatments or therapy.
   

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

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

7. •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.