Paperwork and Colleagues

Before I had chosen to specialize in Anaesthesiology I was a general duty doctor on emergency in a hospital where the work load was not much.A patient canme in to the hospital compound; she looked ill. I got her admitted, started an IV infusion and wrote down my notes. At 8:00 pm I handed over to the senior resident and went home. Before I left I told him about the emergency admission. I told him to have a look at the patient and le me know whether he is likely to need me. He said that he had looked at the patient and would not need me. Next day at 9:00 am when I arrived for my usual duty I was summoned by the chief and asked whether I had admitted an emergency. I said I did and I also told him that I had written complete notes and requested the senior resident doctor to examine the patient and le me know if I needed to stay. His voice changed and he was suspicious about my treatment of the patient. He asked me why I changed my diagnosis which was a query. I had not altered my diagnosis. The chief showed me the case paper. The scratched mark was in different ink. The entire responsibility shifted to the senior doctor who did not write his notes nor did he follow up on the case in the ward. Later, I was congratulated on my diagnosis; however, the patient was lost.

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