Usage of punctuation marks on medical/run report

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wehttam

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My co-worker and i are having a discussion, my co-worker is saying to me that when ever i am writing a run report, i should not use punctuation marks. Is this a correct statement ???

quick responses would be greatly appreciated
 
Nope, not correct - you need punctuation on a run report just like any other written document.

Obviously you'll never use a question mark or exclamation point, but otherwise... B)
 
It depends on company policy, but in my area, false, very false.

Actually on second thought, I don't know how you could get away with no punctuation.

You need commas for longer sentences if you write in narrative form or just to separate list elements:

"The 36 yo pt ate a huge hot dog"

Ok, are you trying to tell me A) Her last oral intake, or B) she's a psych patient who tried to ear her dog but now has burns in her mouth b/c she didn't let him cool after cooking it?

Also, quotation marks are good for what a patient told you exactly.

I just don't see how I could get through a day without using punctuation!

And @ EMT007. I have used both exclamation marks and question marks before. Usually the question marks are for unknown such as ?LOC? for unknwon Loss of Consciousness or ?MOI? for unknown Mech. of Injury. Exclamation points highlight the fact that I did not make a mistake. For example "Patient was trapped for 15 hours!" In case someone wonders if I meant minutes or likewise "Car was travelling at 110 MPH!"
 
What the hell is your partners rationale? Does he shun spelling as well, or is everything an acronynm?

Look at MOST any other medical documentation. They use/do funky things like: capitalizing trade drug names, to other crazy things like quotations, comma's and periods. :P

Chances are your PCR's will be taken much more seriously by outside agencies (including civil suits :sad: ) if you use good grammar, spelling and medical terminology.

p.s. if you use computer documentation... please don't write all in caps! You don't have to be a teeny bopper to know that caps = yelling.
 
EMT007 said:
Nope, not correct - you need punctuation on a run report just like any other written document.

Obviously you'll never use a question mark or exclamation point, but otherwise... B)
Click to expand...

Imagine how exciting and on the edge of your seat it would be to read aloud a report written with exclamation points.

"Upon arrival pt was a 30y/o female found sitting in a chair! Pt was c/o R big toe pain x3 days! Pt describes pain as dull and throbbing, non radiating!"
 
Sasha said:
Imagine how exciting and on the edge of your seat it would be to read aloud a report written with exclamation points.

"Upon arrival pt was a 30y/o female found sitting in a chair! Pt was c/o R big toe pain x3 days! Pt describes pain as dull and throbbing, non radiating!"
Click to expand...

Haha. Thanks, I needed a laugh today.
 
You absolutely should use punctuation when writing your reports. First of all, who wants to read one long run-on sentance? Secondly, depending upon how you write your reports, not using punctuation can make things very confusing. And finally, if we want to be taken seriously and thought of as professionals we need to act as such. Can you think of any other profession that doesn't use proper grammer and punctuation in their documents?
 
As has been said, yes. Punctuation, like grammar and spelling, is very important. You are completing a legal document. Write it like it should be written.

As for "never use and exclamation point", that, too, is false. When documenting a chief complaint of, "My leg is killing me!" as taken verbatim by the patient, then an exclamation point is important to clarify the emphasis put on this statement by the patient.

-be safe
 
Sasha said:
Imagine how exciting and on the edge of your seat it would be to read aloud a report written with exclamation points.

"Upon arrival pt was a 30y/o female found sitting in a chair! Pt was c/o R big toe pain x3 days! Pt describes pain as dull and throbbing, non radiating!"
Click to expand...

and use of question marks can also come up when quoting...
 
wehttam said:
My co-worker and i are having a discussion, my co-worker is saying to me that when ever i am writing a run report, i should not use punctuation marks. Is this a correct statement ???

quick responses would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

vquintessence said:
What the hell is your partners rationale? Does he shun spelling as well, or is everything an acronynm?

Look at MOST any other medical documentation. They use/do funky things like: capitalizing trade drug names, to other crazy things like quotations, comma's and periods. :P

Chances are your PCR's will be taken much more seriously by outside agencies (including civil suits :sad: ) if you use good grammar, spelling and medical terminology.

p.s. if you use computer documentation... please don't write all in caps! You don't have to be a teeny bopper to know that caps = yelling.
Click to expand...

I second Vquint's stance. Yes you use punctuation. You are also supposed to use proper grammar. Whether you are a native Anguillan or American, you know English. Your peers, your superiors, and even both counsels will expect you to know the language inwhich you document.

Plaintiff's counsel's arguement might be that, if you're not smart enough to write properly, then how can you be smart enough to care for the sick and/or injured?
 
MSDeltaFlt said:
if you're not smart enough to write properly, then how can you be smart enough to care for the sick and/or injured?
Click to expand...

There are those who will argue that one's writing ability has little or no bearing on the level and quality of care that is provided to a patient. That argument has merit, and I think that it has been thrashed to death in a previous thread. However, in today's litigious environment, you are what you write, and if you write junk, it will reflect on your abilities if you ever end up on a witness stand. Additionally, we are all seemingly agreed that EMS as a whole needs to work on our collective professional appearance; isn't presenting a well-written PCR to the receiving nurse and physician a step in the right direction?
 
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Originally Posted by MSDeltaFlt
if you're not smart enough to write properly, then how can you be smart enough to care for the sick and/or injured?
Click to expand...
Tincanfireman said:
There are those who will argue that one's writing ability has little or no bearing on the level and quality of care that is provided to a patient. That argument has merit, and I think that it has been thrashed to death in a previous thread. However, in today's litigious environment, you are what you write, and if you write junk, it will reflect on your abilities if you ever end up on a witness stand. Additionally, we are all seemingly agreed that EMS as a whole needs to work on our collective professional appearance; isn't presenting a well-written PCR to the receiving nurse and physician a step in the right direction?
Click to expand...

No way guys! It's all about the street smarts stuff and ain't got nothin' to do with readin' and riting.
 
I'm going to take a different tact. Grammar itself is important since it gives clarity. Charting, especially with the limited space on a lot of PCRs, generally gives way with the finer parts of sentence structure. For example, "Patient transported in position of comfort" is, in my opinion, a perfectly acceptable sentence in a chart whereas the proper sentence would read, "The patient was transported in a position of comfort." Same gist, but, especially when approved acronyms like "pt" instead of "patient," big difference in the amount of space used when writing a report.
 
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