Why am I asked the same questions over and over again?

Everyone gets tired of answering the same questions, especially if they might be embarrassing. “Yes, this is my name, I have no allergies, and I fell and hurt my ankle trying to untangle the dog’s leash from a tree.” But every time someone asks you medical questions, they might be asking for different reasons, which is all a part of our specialized and customized care at HCA Midwest Health.

Different healthcare professionals have different reasons to ask the same questions. A triage nurse wants to know if you have an immediately life-threatening injury that could lead to death. A nurse wants you to be comfortable while waiting for a doctor. An ER doctor wants to diagnose your problem and establish a treatment plan. A surgeon or other specialist wants to know specifics to treat you without adverse reactions or allergies.

As treatment progresses and your condition is diagnosed, the same questions might have different answers, or the same answers (like drug allergies) might become more important.

In addition, your answers might provide more clues or they might change. If you are in shock or traumatized, doctors and nurses will be checking to see if you know where you are. After a car accident, you might be confused and first think that you didn’t hit your head, but later realize you did.

Different people hearing the same answers creates a clearer picture of your health. Another aspect of answering these questions is patient safety. No matter what, you will get asked your date of birth and allergies many times. If you are having surgery, it will happen on the way to the operating room. Our Time Out initiative means that the surgical team stops and checks your name, date of birth, allergies and what procedure you’re having. It’s a double-check built into providing safe, quality care for every patient, each and every day.

We want the right patient to get the right care at the right time. It’s one of the many ways that HCA Midwest Health facilities are improving the quality of patient care for the Kansas City region.