As a nurse, it’s important that you always produce accurate patient records. The main reason for this, of course, is that it’s best for the patient’s health and well-being. Accurate records help to ensure that they get the treatment they need and that everyone else in the medical facility is on the same page.
These records can also help to avoid serious mistakes. If you didn’t record a certain drug that you gave to a patient and then another medical professional gave them a second dose, not knowing that they’d already had some, this could lead to serious complications or even a fatal accident. These records are a key part of the process and they keep people safe.
Your license could also be at stake
Beyond that though, you also have to consider the risk to your medical license. if you’re caught making inaccurate records or falsifying records, your nursing license could be suspended or revoked. So, even if you think that what you’re doing won’t pose a problem for the patient or put them at risk, falsifying those records could put your entire career at risk.
Why would someone do this?
Falsifying patient records sounds malicious, but it’s often not. For instance, maybe you’d been at work for an entire 12-hour shift. It was just taxing and stressful and you wanted to go home. Rather than completing the entire record accurately, you didn’t complete it at all or you just made up information so that you could get it done quicker.
Or, perhaps you wanted to give a patient a little bit more of a painkiller because they were having trouble dealing with the level of pain they were experiencing. You knew they weren’t supposed to get any more, so you didn’t add it to their patient record, but you felt like you were doing a nice thing for them. As noted above, this could lead to serious complications, but it’s easy to see how you could do this compassionately.
Your options if your license is in jeopardy
If your nursing license is in jeopardy, your entire career is on the line. Make sure you are well aware of the legal options you have to protect yourself at a time like this.
