Discharge notes in medical Negligence

This is a crucial piece of evidence regarding the inpatient treatment of a patient. It is important to give due importance to making a proper discharge summary as this is the summary document that will be kept by the patient which reflects the treatment received. The discharge summary should mirror the case notes of the patient records with a brief summary, relevant investigations, and operative procedures. The dates of admission, discharge, and surgery are useful when the sequence of events is an important issue in litigation later. It is also important to include instructions to be followed by the patient after discharge including dietary advice and date of next follow-up. The doctor can be held negligent if proper instructions are not given regarding the medications to be taken after discharge, physical care that is required, and the need for urgent reporting if an untoward complication happens before the advised time of review.

As a urologist, it is common to see patients who are not aware of stents that should have been removed at its appropriate time, though mentioned properly in the discharge summary. The discharge summary should be signed or countersigned by the consultant. A copy of this must be preserved in the case file for future use if required. Discrepancies in the summary given to the patient and what is kept in the hospital records can cause suspicion about tampering with the medical records. These discrepancies should be avoided at all costs as the benefit of this usually goes in favor of the patient.

It is not uncommon to have patients who gets discharged against the advice of the doctor. These patients are also entitled to have a discharge summary about the course of treatment. It is imperative to record the fact that the doctor has advised a course of action with all its implications if not followed. The fact that the patient has understood this and has refused it on his volition should be recorded. This should be signed by the doctor, patient, or relative and duly witnessed. This document has to be retained along with the patient records. It will help the doctor in situations where the patient alleges negligence later.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2779965/

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