Watch The Ledger
Short, specific episodes for doctors. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday at 5:30 pm IST, free to watch.
The 60 minutes after a complication
Eleven minutes into an operation, you know something is wrong. For the next hour, while the emergency is handled and the family waits in the corridor, you are already in a legal proceeding. You just don't know it yet.
What separates the doctors who come through it from those who don't has little to do with what happened in theatre. It has everything to do with what was written down, when, by whom and in what order.
- 01
Time is the spine of the record
Every entry starts with the time and ends with the time. Content can be questioned; time can be proven.
- 02
Write while it is happening
Real-time records carry more weight than an end-of-shift reconstruction. Don't wait to be calm.
- 03
Dictate before you leave theatre
Not after the next case. The operative note dictated immediately is read differently.
- 04
Never delete, add a dated correction
Audit logs record every deletion, and the log usually looks worse than the original error.
- 05
Your messages are part of the file
Messages to colleagues during an event are discoverable. They are not private conversations.
- 06
Record the why, not just the what
Your clinical reasoning is what shows you met the standard of care.
Episode 02 · Friday
Episode 02What you say to the family in the corridor
The conversation most doctors underestimate. It is being documented, whether you know it or not.