The Value of a Notepad
When you have a loved one in the hospital, there are so many things to be concerned about and so much information going around, that it is very easy to miss information or simply forget what a doctor said to you 2 days ago. I often tell friends, family, and clients that it’s a good idea to keep a notepad and take notes whenever you are seeking medical care or helping a loved one who is undergoing medical care. In fact, when we meet with prospective clients, we send them home with a tote bag that has a notepad and pen and we ask them to use them to take notes when they meet with their medical providers.
A Recent Example
Recently, we saw the value of this firsthand in a case. The patriarch of a family was in the hospital for a chronic medical condition that was troubling him. His children were taking turns sitting with him at the hospital and would take notes of important things that were said by nurses and doctors so that other family members would know what was going on. They weren’t doing this because they were looking to sue anyone, like all our clients they trusted their healthcare providers and didn’t know anything was wrong. They just wanted to keep everyone informed and remember what was said in case they needed to tell another doctor or nurse down the line.
The Proof Was in the Notes
As you might suspect, things did not go well during that hospital admission and the family turned to us for representation. Once we saw the medical records, we saw that the doctor was writing stuff down in the medical record which didn’t match with what the family was telling us. Those notes became very important evidence in their case because it supported what they said happened at the time it was happening. We were able to challenge the doctor’s version of events and establish that our client’s version made more sense.
Lessons Learned
Memories are fallible. Oftentimes, we can’t remember what we ate for lunch yesterday, much less what a doctor says in a brief interaction. Keep a notepad with you during these important interactions, so you have your own record of what was said. If you need a pen and notepad, click here and give us your name and physical address and tell us to send you a notepad and pen, and we will! And as always, if you believe you believe you were seriously injured as the result of someone else’s wrongdoing, contact us for a free consultation.
