■ Physician-patient:
Communicating effectively with patients to optimize their care
Documentation of telephone advice
Type of activity: Quick activity
Activity summary
These 3 short scenarios illustrate situations in which physicians are required to document telephone discussions. The facilitation questions focus on helping learners to identify the key information that should be documented.
Scenarios
Scenario 1
As a medical student, you have contacted your resident regarding a ward patient with a fever. The resident orders some acetaminophen (Tylenol) but says they will assess the patient in the morning.
How would you document this phone call?
Scenario 2
As a medical student, you contact the attending physician regarding a patient with chest pain. They ask you to get a cardiology consult and order an ECG, chest X-ray, and serum cardiac markers.
How would you document this advice?
Scenario 3
A patient who is 1 week post-op from abdominal surgery contacts you regarding their swollen leg. You ask the patient to go directly to the emergency department, and you contact the emergency physician to let them know the patient will be coming.
How would you document this call and your advice to the patient?
CanMEDS: Collaborator,
Communicator,
Professional
DISCLAIMER: This content is for general informational purposes and is not intended to provide specific professional medical or legal advice, nor to constitute a "standard of care" for Canadian healthcare professionals. Your use of CMPA learning resources is subject to the foregoing as well as CMPA's Terms of Use.
