WSJ article about physician hours/lifestyles

[Hurricane]

As Doctors Get a Life, Strains Show

U.S. medicine is in the middle of a cultural revolution, as young physicians intent on balancing work and family challenge the assumption that a doctor should be available to treat patients around the clock...

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[waldenwoods]

But rotating care among several medical professionals carries potential risks. Faced with an unfamiliar patient -- or incomplete knowledge of a person's condition -- a doctor may be ill-equipped to make spur-of-the-moment, life-and-death decisions. Edward Salsberg, director of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Center for Workforce Studies, says the team-based model works only if doctors have "a good medical record, good handoffs, etc., so if it's three in the morning and you're ill, someone can get your information."

I agree with this claim about handing off patient care. I believe it is important to document things well and organize it in such a way that others who wind up caring for a particular patient will be able to understand what has been going on. It bothers me, though, that the author of this article seems to imply that the members of these healthcare teams (author gave the example of doctors, PAs, and nurses participating in patient care) frequently don't document appropriate and pertinent patient data. Yes I have defiitely run into poorly written notes, but just because it's out there, is that supposed to mean we really strive to make our notes irrelevant to patient care?