Summary
C attended the Grampian Medical Emergency Department (GMED) out-of-hours service with severe pain in their arms and shoulders. They were referred to the Acute Medical Initial Assessment Unit (AMIA) and then transferred to the Stroke Unit, a unit that has capacity to receive patients with non-stroke problems when the hospital is busy.
C received multiple tests, including multiple electrocardiograms (ECG, test to check a patient’s heart rhythm and electrical activity) in order to diagnose the cause of their symptoms. It was determined to be a trapped nerve in C’s neck and C was discharged from hospital with a prescription for medication for nerve pain and sensitivity.
C complained that there were failings in communication and record-keeping during their admission and that this lead to the unnecessary repetition of ECG tests and a delay in administering pain medication. They also raised concerns that they had been told they had a liver infection requiring antibiotics but this was not recorded, meaning that antibiotics were not prescribed.
We took independent advice from a consultant geriatrician (a doctor who specialises in medicine of the elderly). We found that the treatment C received during their stay in hospital was reasonable and consistent with the symptoms they experienced and that the communications recorded were reasonable. Therefore, we did not uphold these complaints.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201904735 as a PDF (24.46 KB) Updated: September 22, 2021