title: Putting the record straight: the importance of documentation.
abstract: A nurse from Coventry was recently removed from the national register after failing to keep accurate records for patients in her care. She was found guilty of seven charges of misconduct. The committee heard that she failed to ensure care plans were prepared for several patients covering issues such as diabetes, pain management and dietary needs. On one occasion, she failed to notify staff of a patient's increased risk of haemorrhage following a drug error. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found the nurse had systematically neglected a basic and crucial duty to keep proper records for the management of patient care.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Wales, Swansea. richard.griffith@swan.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008008:Licensure, Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009737:Nursing Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012308:Risk Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D006113:United Kingdom