Chapter 6
Keeping track of patient details

Excerpt from the book....

My patient kept on looking towards a spot behind me while I asked him about his health. He was on the respiratory ward, with an acute infection over a background of bronchiectasis. He was a charming gentleman, and we had been getting on famously, but for the past few minutes I did not seem to have his attention. Finally, I gave up, and turned towards the spot behind me, to see what all the fuss was about. I saw my registrar and senior house officer (SHO).

You have to picture the childlike glee with which they stared back at me. Their faces were poked through the curtains. They made it clear to me that they had been spying for quite some time. First, the registrar had spotted me, and then he brought the SHO to have a look. The reason for their bemusement - I was clerking the patient using my handheld and keyboard.

This delight and amusement is a common reaction to using handhelds on the wards. I can vouch for how useful they are at the patients' bedside. So how can you go about doing so?

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