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A Patients' Story about Electronic Medical Records

Traveling with a chronic disease can be life-threatening. This patient tells her story of one particular incident where the lack of access to medical information in an accurate and timely manner could have abruptly ended her life.

"I have to travel to make a living and every time I get on a plane. I put myself at an extreme health risk. I have to make sure I'm awake long enough to give whatever medical professional who is going to treating me the appropriate medical information regarding my condition.

I've had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for 26 years. Since I was 18  years old, I've had to focus more energy on it than anything else I can remember.

Two years ago I was based in Paris but happened to be in Washington D.C., for a conference. I awoke one morning at the hotel vomiting and in severe physical pain. I know what arthritis pain was, but this pain was very different.

I called the hotel concierge and the conference organizers, who all suggested that I get to an emergency room right away. Unfamiliar with the medical terrain of D.C., I had the conference organizer call a friend at the National Institute of Health. The friend informed us that provided we got to a certain hospital, " a certain physician friend would be waiting for me."

We arrived at the ER and told them our doctor was waiting for us and they said, 'What are you talking about ? You have to fill out these forms.' I was passing out. They threw into a wheelchair and said to the women with me, 'You have to fill out these forms if she can't.' So my conference organizer, who knows nothing about my medical background except that I had RA, had to keep me awake long enough so I could give her the information to fill out the form.

Finally, the organizer friend started screaming and said, 'Can't you see this woman is in distress ? She needs help !"
She was screaming so loud that the triad nurse  came out to find out what was going one. The nurse took one look at me and said 'Get her in here right away.'

She immediately got me into medical care. They put me through tests and hospitalized me for a kidney stone that lodged itself in the worst possible spot.

We then found out that we in the wrong hospital all along. It was too late to be  transferred, so we had to go through all kinds of, 'Where's here medical history? What kind of drugs is she taking?' questions. I passed out cold at that time.

Someone who only knew me as a speaker as a speaker at a conference did not know my medical history, did not know the drugs I was taking, only had a phone number of my mother who was not at home as responsible for telling them all of the vital information.

Because of the lack of medical information, they had to wait until I was awake long enough, and they hoped by treating me, they were not doing something that would be considered counter-indicated for the medication I was already on.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room with three doctors standing over me. They told me I ha a kidney stone and needed surgery right away, and then I passed out cold again. the only thing I remember after that is someone saying, 'Stat, stat, get her into surgery."

When I woke up, it was a day and a half later. I had gone through surgery, which would normally have taken only an hour and a half, but because my blood levels were so low and my condition was unstable, I was in recovery for seven hours. I ended up spending 12 days in the hospital, most of it waiting for treatment because the doctors didn't have the medical information they needed.

As one who knew nothing about what an electronic medical record was or even if it was available, I now realize the importance of the accurate and timely transfer of medical information. Because we now have access to this technology, I feel that there is no excuse for doctors and hospitals should have access to medical records.