Documenting in wrong patient chart

[VenessaNesbitt]

Hi everyone, this is my first time on this site and I really need your help. I'm a nursing student and I'm having problems with this questions.

A patient was admitted through the hospital emergency department with CHF. Extensive diagnostic tests were done including radiology studies. It was later discovered that all the patient information had been entered into another patient file. how would this situation be corrected. What other departments or agencies will need to be informed.

I know both patients would have to know about the discrepancy and the doctors will get involved. What are the procedures a situation like this occurs.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

The only reason both patients would have to be informed would be if they received care based on someone else's diagnostic study results.

Otherwise. .. homework question? We don't do your homework for you. What do you think, before we give you the answers?

Part of the reason you get questions like this is to do some research (and no, asking anonymous people on an internet message board is not "research"), form an opinion, and write it up and defend it. That's almost as important as getting what you think is the answer. There may not be an only answer, anyway.

So... what do you think, and why?