Paperwork for the busy interventionalist: the basic six

Communication and patient care go hand in hand. Unfortunately, due to time constraints direct verbal communication with health care providers in every instance is not practical; it is also inefficient. Documentation is mandated by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and hospital bylaws. It reduces ambiguity and actually speeds communication between physician and hospital staff. Standard paperwork is recommended in most cases. Forms for patient admission, history and physical examination, daily patient rounds, preprocedural orders, consent form, discharge summary, and discharge orders allow the busy interventionalist to multitask with reasonable efficiency and fewer mistakes.