Correcting the doctor's mistakes

I had a visit with my doctor in January and at the end of the visit, he told me that I was due to see him for my annual exam in March.

I knew this wasn't true. I recall the last time that I saw him was right after Thanksgiving. I remember us talking about holiday plans. I pointed this out to him, but he was adamant that I was due in March.

Upon leaving I double-checked with the nurse (who checked with the computer) and verified that I didn't need to come back in until November.

This minor incident reminded me that although I absolutely adore and trust my doctor, he is human, too. And I should be double-checking his work.

In fact, we should all be double-checking our doctor's work. In a recent survey, researchers found that parents were catching errors made by hospitals. A lot of the errors were not small scheduling ones like my example, but larger issues that could have resulted in a longer hospital stay for a child.

The study was small, but serves as a good reminder for parents: You know your child best.

Are you already in the practice of double-checking your doctor's work? Tell me in the comments.