It's 11:30 am, do you know how to reach your patients? You may think you do but the reality may be quite different. The use of cell phones, combined with the recession have played havoc with many patient record files. The contact numbers are often obsolete.
It goes like this:
1) Patient suffers loss of income
2) Patient cancels land line
3) Patient uses cell
4) Patient looses cell (or can't afford the charges)
5) Patient can't be found.
Dr Perri Klass, a New York physician, noticed an unexpected jump in the head-size of a at the three-month check up. Problem was it made the observation in review the file. After reviewing the case he feared hydrocephalus and other congenital brain malfunctions. He wanted the baby to come back into for a closer look but was unable to contact the baby's mother. None of the phone numbers in her file worked. Eventually he tracked her down through a sister. The child came in and was found to be perfectly healthy. The incident gave the doctor pause.
The lesson: check phone numbers every time a patient comes in. Even then you may find yourself marking too many patient files "lost to followup."
Dr Klass's full article can be found in the April 15 issue of New England Journal of Medicine. NEJM.org