Repeated Health Questions: Youth
This Data Path describes various conversations between the father of a young patient and several members of the healthcare system.
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Hello. I am here to take my daughter for an X-ray and to get bloodwork done. Are we in the right place?
You sure are; this is the X-ray department. You'll have to go to the lab for bloodwork once you're done here, but in the meantime can I have her health card, name, date of birth, address and phone number please? Can you also tell me what medications she is currently taking and what the dosing schedule is?
Here is her card. Her name is Chloe Smith. Born on May 2, 2013. Address is Eleven Eleven Dragonfly Cres. in Calgary, Alberta. Phone number is 403-333-3333. She is taking insulin now and her dosage is 70-120 mg/dL, three times a day.
Great, just go down the hall and have a seat. Someone will call you to go in shortly.
Chloe Smith? Can you please confirm your address and date of birth?
Yes, this is Chloe. Born on May 2, 2013. Her address is Eleven Eleven Dragonfly Cres. in Calgary, Alberta.
Perfect. I just want to make sure I have the right file with the right patient.
Patient has X-ray completed and now heads to another part of the hospital for blood work.
Hi there, My daughter is here for some bloodwork. We just came from the imaging department.
Can I have her health card, name, date of birth, address and phone number please? Can you also tell me what medications she is currently taking and what the dosing schedule is?
This feels like déja vu. Here is her card. Chloe Smith. Born on May 2, 2013. Address is Eleven Eleven Dragonfly Cres. in Calgary, Alberta. Phone number is 403-333-3333. She is taking insulin now and her dosage is 70-120 mg/dL, three times a day
We always need to ensure we are speaking with the right patient - that's why we always have to ask you your name and date of birth no matter who you are talking to in the hospital. OK, so you're all registered. Just go down the hall and have a seat. Someone will call you to go in shortly
Yes, but why do you also have to ask about her medication? I feel like I have to tell this story all day long. It's frustrating. Isn't there an electronic file with all of this information in it?
I hear what you're saying. I know it is frustrating. Unfortunately, our electronic records aren't connected in this hospital. I have no idea what is in her file - I just see that she has an appointment so I need to ask you these questions about her medications to ensure there is nothing major to look out for as she has her bloodwork, and to ensure we are doing the bloodwork on the right patient.
Thank you. There must be a better way....
Patient has bloodwork completed and heads to family doctor appointment one week later.
Hi Doctor. I am here to follow up about Chloe's bloodwork. Is everything ok?
Hi Mr Smith. I can see her bloodwork indicates that she has high levels of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) in her blood. This indicates hypothyroidism. Does Chloe have any other conditions that I am not aware of?
Well about 6 months ago she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. She is seeing an endocrinologist at the hospital who is managing that for her.
Ah ok. Well that all makes sense then.
I am really concerned that you didn't know she has diabetes. You are her main doctor! It is very surprising to me because I definitely gave the endocrinologist your information. So you mean that your clinic's electronic medical records and the hospital's electronic medical records are not connected?
Unfortunately, they are not. Our office is not connected to the hospital filing system, so information has to be sent to us, or you have to bring it here directly. It is a fault in our healthcare system. in an ideal world, Chloe's entire health team could see her data in one place, so we could all have a more holistic view of her health and healthcare experience. So please tell me about her diabetes, what type of insulin is she on and how many units does she take?
Oh wow! All this again. Do you need her health card number, address and date of birth too?
For purposes of this Data Path, Canadian terminology and definitions have been used for consistency. We acknowledge that different jurisdictions and/or data protection regulations include different terms or definitions to describe similar concepts. Please refer to the FAQs for further information.