Writing "RIP" in official documentation

[woopedazz]

I frequently see non-survivable trauma where I work. Junior staff are all writing "RIP" at the end of their notes.

This is a neurosurg note from earlier today:
"[history/exam findings] ... CT scan showed [findings] ... In keeping with non-survivable brain injury.
RIP."

Patient's still alive at the time of the note.

It irks me a bit. Either keep it clinical and formal, or if you absolutely must write "may they rest in peace" or something. Not RIP... Also give the poor bastard 5 minutes to die before you pronounce him RIP'd.

Am I being whiney or is this a bit unprofessional?

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[triggermaster]

I frequently see non-survivable trauma where I work. Junior staff are all writing "RIP" at the end of their notes.

This is a neurosurg note from earlier today:
"[history/exam findings] ... CT scan showed [findings] ... In keeping with non-survivable brain injury.
RIP."

Patient's still alive at the time of the note.

It irks me a bit. Either keep it clinical and formal, or if you absolutely must write "may they rest in peace" or something. Not RIP... Also give the poor bastard 5 minutes to die before you pronounce him RIP'd.

Am I being whiney or is this a bit unprofessional?

I agree with you that it’s inappropriate. It’s a progress note for the healthcare team not a condolences card to the family.

 

[Agast]

How woke is your workplace? RIP is a Christian statement and putting it into the chart of say, a Jewish person, could actually be considered offensive. They prefer May their memory be a blessing. File a complaint with the DEI office lol

 

[ProPropofol]

If "RIP" indeed stands for "rest in peace", this is not really appropriate. Definitely can be misconstrued by an attorney reviewing the records. "See, they gave up before the patient was pronounced dead." Also makes the family lose confidence in you even if it is an extremely poor prognosis.

 

[greatnt249]

Seems like clinical documentation would not be the place to be writing things like that; it gives me the same feeling when I see people write that the patient "expired."

 

[Monty Python]

Best intentions aside, acronyms shouldn’t be used unless they’re on the facility’s approved list. Joint Commission loves to nit-pick this issue.

 

[Potatoman1800]

That's wild. The closest I see, while the patient is still alive, is "guarded prognosis" or "grave prognosis"

 

[pgg]

I struggle to imagine a world in which a person smart enough to find their way to their job in a hospital is also dumb enough to write that in a patient's chart. It's simultaneously bizarrely inappropriate, useless, and medicolegally dangerous.


Also, I love these responses:

File a complaint with the DEI office lol

Best intentions aside, acronyms shouldn’t be used unless they’re on the facility’s approved list. Joint Commission loves to nit-pick this issue.

10/10, for sicc'ing those doofuses on this doofus. letthemfight.gif

 

[drmwvr]

Never know...maybe it's on this list...

 

[cytocide]

Raised intracranial pressure. Still up there with “puss-filled” abdomen.

 

[nimbus]

During CCU month in internship, we had an attending who was a superb teacher and cardiologist.

A couple of his quips:

If they were very sick,

“Tell that guy not to buy any green bananas.”

If they were circling the drain,

“Tell that guy not to buy any LP records.”

Of course he never wrote that in a chart.

 

[nimbus]

Best intentions aside, acronyms shouldn’t be used unless they’re on the facility’s approved list. Joint Commission loves to nit-pick this issue.

I believe OP is in Australia.

 

[Radetzky]

Not as egregious but I see it in notes after the patient has died and it makes me cringe. Writing it while they’re still alive is insane

 

[KLPM]

I don't like people writing "RIP" in the notes. My belief is that medical notes are just an objective written record of what's happened. I don't like people writing irrelevant speculations or long prose that can be summarised in a few lines/dot-points. We still have handwritten medical records and I have a hard enough time reading them as it is.

What truly annoys me is when people write irrelevant passive aggressive things in the notes. For example, someone wrote at the end of their notes something along the lines of them currently working beyond the end of shift and beyond the safe working hours agreed upon by the hospital system. Who is that helping?

 

[psychbender]

As an intensivist, my take on notes is that they are primarily there to communicate my thoughts to my colleagues and to myself in the future. I write long form to say what I see, think is going on, and what I'm going to do about it, because a lot is lost in bullet point notes.

That having been said, writing RIP there is dumb, and not helpful. Just write "patient is not likely to survive beyond X" or "injury not compatible with independent function." It's your expert opinion based on your experience and your knowledge of the patient, and shows consultants that you've put real thought into it, and considered their functional status. This is more helpful when having end of life discussions with families.

 

[anaesthetic]

Agree that notes should be professional, concise, and communicate the patient condition and clinical course clearly. I don’t see how “RIP” adds anything of value to any of this except for some self-flagellating notion to signal to others that you “care about the patient.” I’ve never seen it in a chart and hope it doesn’t become a thing here.

 

[abolt18]

I frequently see non-survivable trauma where I work. Junior staff are all writing "RIP" at the end of their notes.

This is a neurosurg note from earlier today:
"[history/exam findings] ... CT scan showed [findings] ... In keeping with non-survivable brain injury.
RIP."

Patient's still alive at the time of the note.

It irks me a bit. Either keep it clinical and formal, or if you absolutely must write "may they rest in peace" or something. Not RIP... Also give the poor bastard 5 minutes to die before you pronounce him RIP'd.

Am I being whiney or is this a bit unprofessional?

As linked below, RIP could mean "Raised Intracranial Pressure" and it would fit the above scenario.

 

[triggermaster]

As linked below, RIP could mean "Raised Intracranial Pressure" and it would fit the above scenario.

Nope.

 

[woopedazz]

As linked below, RIP could mean "Raised Intracranial Pressure" and it would fit the above scenario.

Nah, it wasn't meant in that way.

 

[caligas]

Man walks into the emergency room with crushing chest pain. Doc runs a series of tests and goes to see the patient.

Doc: “Bad news sir, you’re not gonna make it.”

“Oh no Doc, how long do I have?!”

Doc: “Ten”

What do you mean Doc? 10 months? 10 weeks?

Doc: “Nine…”

 

[abolt18]

Nah, it wasn't meant in that way.

Lol just grasping at straws. I agree though that it's ridiculous.

 

[NitroS]

RIP

 

[dozitgetchahi]

I frequently see non-survivable trauma where I work. Junior staff are all writing "RIP" at the end of their notes.

This is a neurosurg note from earlier today:
"[history/exam findings] ... CT scan showed [findings] ... In keeping with non-survivable brain injury.
RIP."

Patient's still alive at the time of the note.

It irks me a bit. Either keep it clinical and formal, or if you absolutely must write "may they rest in peace" or something. Not RIP... Also give the poor bastard 5 minutes to die before you pronounce him RIP'd.

Am I being whiney or is this a bit unprofessional?

I can’t say I’ve ever seen “RIP” in a medical note before. Usually “guarded prognosis” or “poor prognosis” or a description of specific issues is what I’ve seen.

 

[Goro]

I don't like people writing "RIP" in the notes. My belief is that medical notes are just an objective written record of what's happened. I don't like people writing irrelevant speculations or long prose that can be summarised in a few lines/dot-points. We still have handwritten medical records and I have a hard enough time reading them as it is.

What truly annoys me is when people write irrelevant passive aggressive things in the notes. For example, someone wrote at the end of their notes something along the lines of them currently working beyond the end of shift and beyond the safe working hours agreed upon by the hospital system. Who is that helping?

Lawyers!