nectarine Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I'm posting this on behalf of a friend who went into hospital for a routine operation A few weeks later, in great discomfort he returned and had an XRay which found a scalpel blade inside him ... yep, a scalpel blade!So he raised holy heck with the hospital to be told that they had counted in and counted out the instruments used so it couldn't possibly be theirs, but took him in for removal, then told him it wasn't the sort of blade they used!Eventually, eventually, he got a very loose apology of sorts, very informally and not recorded.But he now wants to see a record of the operation since the hospital are still blanking him. I suggested that he approach his doctor to formally ask for the records but my friend is of the opinion that all medical staff stick together.So my question is, can he write and ask for records and will they be easily given, or is there a procedure for this, or some law he can quote?I'm not sure it's compensation he's after, actually he's just after having it documented that he's had an unnecessary operation which jeopardised his health (anaesthetic, another cut, etc.Any advice to give him in order to get these records?Many thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Nectarine ............I've got absolutely no idea about the possible procedure that your friend might follow, but whatever it might turn out to be, it'll undoubtedly be long & tortuous! That would be the case in just about any country.My instinctive reaction would be to seek a meeting with the hospital CEO in order to invite his / her comments on what occurred.My subsequent action would be conditioned by the response received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 Thanks Gardian, That sound a possible avenue. Meetings with the doctors have been very non-committal so he wanted something documented on record. Does anybody know if you have the absolute right to demand your records? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Unless I have missed it, one very important piece of information is lacking, without which nothing other than general advice can be given.Which country did this occur in?I have a very good idea though, the clue is in "its not one of ours, someone else must have operated on you!" [:'(]Has your friend been abducted by aliens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 yes, at a local hospital in France! We like the alien theories, that he was abducted, taken to a spaceship and operated upon. He's going to write a letter and ask for the records, and then see what happens.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 A detailed 'compte rendu' should automatically have gone to the médecin traitant who holds the whole patient history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thank you Norman .... in the first instance do you think my friend should apply to the doctor? And does he have the right to see his records ,, are they his property? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 nectarine wrote : And does he have the right to see his records ,, are they his property?When my OH left hospital after a minor procedure in early April he was given a complete 3 page, closely typed report of exactly how the op had been done - who did what, with what piece of equipment, down to the kind of surgical tape used. All detailed minutely.It made for fascinating reading. A copy was sent to our GP as he was discussing the details with OH in the post-op appointment.So yes, you have a right to a copy.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Yes as Sue says the Doctor will have a report and you certainly have a right to see it.Mine has given me 10 year's worth on an USB stick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 [quote user="NormanH"]Mine has given me 10 year's worth on an USB stick...[/quote]Reminds me of when an elderly friend downsized from a house to a flat a few years ago, she was also moving out of area so changed to a new GP. When she asked her previous GP for a copy of her records he gave her a data CD ... She looked at it and said it was chock full.How come you have glorious sunshine and 30° Norman ? We are struggling to 17° here in cloudy Morbihan.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 If only one could combine the Brittany coast with the Languedoc climate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hmmmmm, but one doesn't need to use the same GP all the time, and if not suited can go to another, and frankly it does not cost much extra if not using one's own GP. I know someone who wanted a psche report and went to a 'new' psychiatrist and simply lied to them and got an official report about their state of mental health. I realise one could do that in the UK, but the amounts charged for private treatment are rather different, it is entirely feasable even for those on a tight budget in France.So now I have a question, do they not send the patient the compte rendu of operations any more? I have all mine, my last being in 2007, all the details are on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 [quote user="idun"]So now I have a question, do they not send the patient the compte rendu of operations any more? I have all mine, my last being in 2007, all the details are on it.[/quote]As I said on the previous page my OH was given a 3 page account, complete down to the last detail, of his op as he was leaving the hospital.So, perhaps it varies from area to area; or perhaps the hospital in question were trying to avoid having to commit such detail to paper.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 But they would have to do a compte rendu of the operation anyway, and whichever GP refered the patient should get a copy (shouldn't they?) as well as the patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 The report goes to the médicin traitant normally.Why anyone would use several GPs is beyond me, and any way that just muddies the waters of a simple answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 It would appear to be different in different areas? 3 years back I had a 4 hour op on my right wrist and all I got was the x-rays. That was in a clinic in Toulouse.I have to admit that the op was a real success and the 5 screws don't even set the alarms off at the airports [8-|]As far as I am aware the report was sent to my doc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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