My wife and read an article recently that declared medical negligence often occurs when a medical provider does not follow-up with the results of tests given to patients. Ideally, the results of every test taken by a patient would immediately be sent to the ordering physician and the doctor’s office would promptly notify the patient of the results. However, in the hectic world in which we live, sometimes tests are not timely submitted to the physician, or a busy physician’s office misplaces or misfiles the test results.
Interestingly enough, today I received a call from my wife inquiring if we had ever received the results of an x-ray taken by our teenage son to determine if he had scoliosis. We referred to the article we had read, thinking that the situation could apply to us. I called the doctor’s office and left a message inquiring as to the results of this x-ray. I received a call back asking when the x-ray was taken and then later received confirmation that the x-rays were negative. The nurse informed me that a physician who has a similar name to the name of our doctor had received the results of the x-ray by a hospital mistake. Our call prompted an inquiry by the doctor’s office and the x-rays were found.
This certainly proved the veracity of the article we read and underscored the need for the patients to take affirmative steps to make sure that people we have placed in our trust are doing what they are suppose to be doing.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
