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A doctor's handwriting

Posted By Kimberley

"A doctor's handwriting"

About: Kununurra Hospital

(as the patient),

I had a gastroscopy at Kununurra District Hospital a few months ago. I was treated well, the staff were very professional and the procedure went smoothly. However, I was unable to read the surgeon's discharge summary, nor could my attending nurse. My GP, to whom the discharge summary was sent, could not read it either and had to return it to the surgeon for translation. Hence several weeks of consternation passed before I was given the results of my gastroscopy. Fortunately nothing of serious concern was found, but if it had, then my treatment could have been unnecessary delayed. 

Neat handwriting or a typed discharge summary is the simple answer to this issue.

Many thanks.

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Responses

Response from David Gaskell, Regional Medical Director, Medical, WA Country Health Service 5 years ago
David Gaskell
Regional Medical Director, Medical,
WA Country Health Service

As well as being a practising clinician, I oversee the quality and safety of medical services delivered by WACHS doctors to healthcare consumers across the Kimberley

Submitted on 28/12/2018 at 9:06 PM
Published on Care Opinion on 31/12/2018 at 10:29 AM

picture of David Gaskell

Dear Kimberley

A timely and helpful rebuke, thank you very much. I am glad matters worked out well in the end.

On behalf of my surgical colleague (and, humbly, my profession), I really am sincerely sorry about the illegible handwriting. Clinics can be very busy. The surgeon's findings are captured by hand contemporaneously. The next step is dictation digitally. The first draft of the surgeon's letters are returned to her or him for proof-reading before being finalised and then distributed. Given competing demands on time and clerical support, these typed letters can take up to a few weeks to reach the referring doctor, like your GP.

The surgeons report to me. Please email me your surgeon's name to david.gaskell2@health.wa.gov.au. I will address this matter with the named consultant and more widely also. Thank you.

Seasonal felicitations.

David

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