I am starting nursing school in the fall and had an experience today that I thought I would share as a reminder to all on how careful one must be with putting results in a patient's chart.
I had an OB/GYN appt. back in Sept for a routine pap smear. My doctor called me Thursday to say that my results were abnormal and that he wanted me to come in for a colposcopy. I have had abnormal paps in the past and colposcopies so it didn't really come as a surprise. What did surprise me is that my appt. was back in Sept and they were just now calling me. I know they are a high volume, busy office with 5 doctors totally but to get results 7 months later? I was definitely going to address the issue when I went in for my appt. Well I showed up yesterday for my colposcopy and I am undress waiting in the room. I have had many medical problems in the past and move around alot, so I always get copies of my medical records and keep everything in a binder. I told the nurse I would like a copy of my most recent pap smear. She made me a copy and told me the doctor would be in shortly. When I got up to look at the pap results, I notice the abnormal pap smear belonged to someone else and NOT ME!!! We had the same first and last name spelled differently, different dates of birth, different collection dates and in fact different doctors. When my doctor came in and asked "how I was doing today" I told him he had the wrong patient for his colposcopy today. Needless to say he was extremely angry and I think his whole office got in trouble. I used to work in doctor's offices and I realize how mistakes can be made and that no one is perfect. It was scary to think though that I almost had an invasive procedure for no reason and that no one would have caught it. Plus the poor girl that needs it hasn't even been notified. What also worried me most is that I thought I had gone 7 months with an abnormal pap smear.
In the end, no harm was done and I still love my doctor. I just wanted to share my story as a reminder that we always need to take our time and pay attention to details to make sure that mistakes like this don't happen. No one is perfect but please take the time to make sure you have the correct patient.
I had something like that happen to me....there are 3 people in our system who have the same name, first and last, as I do. We all go to the same OB/GYN. I got a call one day to schedule my hysterectomy...I said, really, for real? yes, they said...well, since I am 6 months pregnant, I don't think that is clinically indicated! My doc was so mad at her staff!
Even though it has nothing to do with med or procedure error, i had a patient in school who was denied medicaid several times because she had the same name with this lady (Live in different borough), different DOB, bu tthe other lady is rich so they think the patient does not need it despite several social worker intervention. still on it as of Dec 10
Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Hospice,IV Therapy.
I have some distant cousins who have a last name similar to my family's and one day I went to the pharmacy to pick up my mother's meds and was handed all of my cousin's meds. I can sort of understand the similar last names would be confusing but I asked for Anna's meds and got Henry's.
I'm glad you caught it. I have had a few colposcopies in my time also, never pleasant, especially when unecessary. I respect your ability to understand mistakes happen too. My daughter almost got an unecessary LP when she was born. Turned out the blood cultures were contaminated. Luckily before the neonatologist did the procedure, she noticed some things weren't adding up and had the cultures redrawn. She was very sorry when the second set of cultures came back negative. I was not angry, I understand that can happen and I thanked her for going with her gut and double checking before she did an LP on my newborn baby!
We had the same first and last name spelled differently, different dates of birth, different collection dates and in fact different doctors. When my doctor came in and asked "how I was doing today" I told him he had the wrong patient for his colposcopy today. Needless to say he was extremely angry and I think his whole office got in trouble. 
I used to work in doctor's offices and I realize how mistakes can be made and that no one is perfect. It was scary to think though that I almost had an invasive procedure for no reason and that no one would have caught it. Plus the poor girl that needs it hasn't even been notified. What also worried me most is that I thought I had gone 7 months with an abnormal pap smear. 
NicuGal, MSN, RN
2,743 Posts
I had something like that happen to me....there are 3 people in our system who have the same name, first and last, as I do. We all go to the same OB/GYN. I got a call one day to schedule my hysterectomy...I said, really, for real? yes, they said...well, since I am 6 months pregnant, I don't think that is clinically indicated! My doc was so mad at her staff!