The Dangers of Ignoring Patient Medical History

A person’s medical history is an important part of finding out what’s wrong and determining how to treat it. This means both the patient’s individual history and that of their blood relatives, as some conditions have a genetic component. If a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional ignores a person’s history, it can lead to a lot of problems later on. Let’s look at a few.

Allergies or Contraindications

If a person goes to see a doctor and complains about a rash, it could be a sign of an infection. These are normally treated with antibiotics, but some people are allergic to specific ones, like Amoxicillin. If the doctor doesn’t pay close enough attention to the patient’s medical file and prescribe Amoxicillin to a patient with an allergy, they could go into anaphylactic shock and potentially die.

Similarly, some medications can’t be mixed with others or shouldn’t be taken if you have certain conditions (also known as a “contraindication”). A patient with high blood pressure might be prescribed beta blockers as a treatment, but if that patient has asthma, it can increase their risk of a severe attack. If they also have heart problems and have been prescribed Digoxin, it can reduce their heart rate to dangerous levels (called bradycardia). All because the prescribing doctor ignored the patient’s history.

Missed or Late Diagnosis

Another potential problem is a missed or late diagnosis, especially if the doctor ignores family history. For example, certain types of cancer and heart disease are genetic, meaning they “run in the family”. A patient who comes in with stomach problems and has a family history of stomach cancer should receive a scan to rule out a tumor.

If the doctor ignores the patient’s history and prescribes an antacid or a pain reliever but ignores a potential genetic link to possible stomach cancer, it might not be caught right away. The most important factor in treating cancer is time, and early detection is essential to stop it from spreading. A late diagnosis with cancer or another disease that moves quickly can lead to it being found too late for treatment.

Increased Risk of Injury or Death

More generally, an ignored patient history can take even a minor medical problem and turn it into something life-threatening or even fatal. A patient complaining of knee problems or joint pain might be given an injection of steroids to speed up recovery and improve their range of motion. This is a rather routine and normal procedure, generally speaking.

However, if that patient also has either Type-1 or Type-2 Diabetes, it can spike their blood sugar and lead to nerve damage, kidney disease, or diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be fatal. Even an ordinary treatment administered to thousands of patients across the country every day could lead to a coma, heart attack, stroke, or even death if a doctor makes the mistake of ignoring a patient’s history.

Reduced Faith in Healthcare Services

A secondary effect of a missed patient medical history is an overall reduced faith in healthcare providers and services. Almost everyone knows someone who went to the doctor, felt like they were being ignored or treated unfairly, and thought twice about going back the next time they got sick.

This applies to more than just medicine, too. If you took your car to a mechanic because the windows wouldn’t roll down and you came back three days later to find out they replaced the windshield wipers and installed a new transmission, you probably wouldn’t have a lot of faith in that mechanic or repair shop anymore.

One mistake by one doctor can eradicate a lifetime of trust in healthcare services from the patient, their families, their friends, their coworkers, and everyone else they decide to tell about it. Even if a doctor doesn’t cause physical harm to a patient by not paying enough attention to their history, they can find themselves starting to lose patients quickly through word of mouth. People want to trust their doctors and, if they don’t, they’ll find someone they can trust.

What to Do If Your Patient History Has Been Ignored

If you feel like your patient history is being ignored by your doctor, there are a few steps you can take. First, talk to your pharmacist when you go to pick up your prescription. If you’re worried about a potential drug interaction, contraindication, or have other concerns about the medication you’ve been prescribed, your pharmacist can help. They spent years at medical school learning about medication interactions and effects in classes that most doctors didn’t take.

Visiting another doctor for a second opinion might also be helpful. They’ll review your history, look at your chart, and determine whether the first doctor missed something, which hopefully will lead to a better diagnosis. This might be more difficult if you live in a rural location, unfortunately, as there might only be one cardiologist for 100 miles. If you have heart problems, you might not have a choice.

You also might consider speaking with a team of knowledgeable medical malpractice lawyers if you’ve experienced complications or further medical issues resulting from a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional ignoring your patient history, especially if you’ve had to pay for additional treatments or had to visit another medical practice to get an accurate diagnosis. You shouldn’t be financially responsible because a doctor didn’t pay attention to what you told them.

Recap: The Dangers of Ignoring Patient Medical History

A doctor who ignores a patient’s medical history might give out the wrong diagnosis (or take too long to find the right one), which can result in additional medical costs, injury, permanent debilitation, or even death. That’s why doctors are supposed to take accurate histories in the first place. If you feel like yours is being ignored, don’t be afraid to speak up. You might also need a new doctor, a conversation with your pharmacist, or a medical malpractice lawyer.