“It’s all in my chart.”

“I’m sure you’ve read all about my history from my chart.”

“You can just look in my records from my other doctors.”

“I don’t know/remember, just look that up in my records.”

I hear statements like these frequently, and I cringe every time. It’s not your fault, but I have found that there is a general assumption among patients that medical practices have access to your complete medical record/chart. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Let’s clear up a big misconception.

If you’ve ever been to the doctor then you probably know what it’s like to be asked the same question twenty times. 

-What brings you in today?

-How did that happen?

-What medications are you taking?

-What allergies do you have? 

-Do you drink?

-How much?

-Do you smoke?

-Do you take any illicit drugs?

-Are you sure? *looks down at urine test results*

-No, I’m not a cop or your pastor. That’s not my job, I just want to know what’s in your body so that I don’t give you something that will hurt you. 

-Riiiiiight. 🤨 Well, moving on…

Are you tired of answering these questions again and again? You’re not alone. But there’s a method to our madness. 

Have you ever been so sure of where you were going that you got lost? Or so confident in your ability that you hurt yourself? Ever reached a conclusion before looking at all the information? Let’s talk about something called “confirmation bias.”

Without a doubt, the medical field is very personal, even invasive at times. It has to be in order to offer any real help to you. You tell and show your doctor things that you would’t tell anyone else, not even your closest friend or spouse. Medical practitioners take this responsibility very seriously. The exam room should be a black hole to any personal information that you decide to tell (or show) the medical team assisting you, the only exception being indications of harming yourself or others. Oh, and the emergency room (ER). That place is for saving lives, not keeping secrets. In the ER, everything you say can be heard by the patient on the other side of that curtain. But don’t worry, you get to hear their story too. Maybe you’ll luck out and it will be an interesting one!  

With that being said, anyone who works with the general public on a regular basis understands that sometimes you meet, um, interesting people. Due to the nature of the medical field, we sometimes get the privilege of knowing these people more personally than we’d like. Honestly, sometimes it’s hilarious and makes my day. But sometimes, like a “Gen Z-er,” I just can’t even. 

Here are some of those times…