Peeking at physician notes in a medical chart is a bit like snooping through someone else’s diary because you never quite know what you’ll find. Will it be a perfectly mundane summary of vitals and lab results, or a bizarre little anecdote that makes you question what’s actually happening in the exam room?
These entries are often so unexpected, so downright funny, that they’ll have you laughing out loud or shaking your head in disbelief. Netizens shared the funniest, weirdest, and most unforgettable entries they’ve ever come across in medical charts. As always, we’ve rounded up the most laugh-out-loud, head-scratching, and downright bizarre submissions for your enjoyment.
More info: Reddit
#1
Funny, but mostly cute, in the assessment section of a NICU patient:
Mohawk is a little flat today.
Image source: mica–spangled, Emma Benitez
#2
Pulmonologist wrote that she suspected the pt suffers from depression and should be medicated but will “stay in her lane” 😂.
Image source: turtlecamp, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
#3
Something about a chest X-ray and a comment about it “looking crazy” lmao.
Image source: Head-Lawyer3080, freepik
Psylio explains that clinicians are taught to structure progress notes around clarity, objectivity, and practical value for ongoing patient care. Rather than serving as detailed storytelling or full session transcripts, these notes are meant to function as concise, factual records.
According to them, they document key observations, patient status updates, interventions provided, and treatment plans to ensure continuity among care teams. The emphasis is on essential, “need-to-know” information, such as condition changes and next steps, while excluding unnecessary personal details or unrelated commentary.
#4
I’m a clinical documentation specialist RN, meaning that I review charts literally 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Some of the first ones that came to mind:
– “Patient is on a gargantuan amount of sedation”
– “Bobo (stuffed animal) is at bedside”
– “Patient is passing large amounts of flatus, but I suspect this is near his baseline, as he told me ‘I can really rip them’.”.
Image source: JMRR1416, inna-zueva5
#5
My favorite will always be the poem Nephro wrote for their consult note on a frequent flier.
*Patient* is well known to our group.
Spoke to the ER who kept us in the loop.
He missed his iHD again, not great.
And showed up to the ER w/ a K of 6.8.
He’s also got acidosis, mostly metabolic.
And elevated blood pressures, close to 164 systolic.
CXR pending, but he’s usually got volume overload.
But not worries, I’ve got dialysis orders in–l’ve entered the code.
Will plan for dialysis–stat orders are in.
Will get the machine to bedside and give his blood the spin.
Image source: Parasynapsis, kelvn-photo
#6
1. [Insert patient name] is his usual obese self.
2. …lives with his girlfriend of 26 years, whose name he cannot recall.
Those are a couple that I Lol’d reading the nurses station.
Image source: Asmarterdj, pressmaster
According to Text Expander, medical documentation can sometimes include amusing mistakes. These errors often result from technology issues, time pressure, auto-text features, faulty voice dictation, or clinicians rushing to complete charts during busy shifts.
While healthcare professionals usually recognize and interpret these mistakes correctly, they can occasionally lead to patient confusion or unintentional humor. Another common contributor is electronic health record cloning, where outdated or copied notes remain in patient files. In fast-paced clinical settings, repeated copy-paste practices can increase the likelihood of these documentation blunders appearing in medical records.
#7
I don’t remember why the pt had come in, but his wife was driving and crashed her car in to the temporary tent we had out front during the early COVID days. In the provider note it stated “Pt wife became concerned and drove pt with great haste to emergency department.”.
Image source: karbearkir, teksomolika
#8
Not a doctor but I had an RT write “refused to give pt treatment due to screaming and cussing out staff. Mad rude and disrespectful”.
Image source: freelyawkward, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
#9
For a baby that was staying with us for many months, but was at this point mostly just a normal baby who we all loved and liked to dress in cute clothes when they were available and clean.
“[Patient] is wearing a GA Bulldogs onesie despite being in Tennessee. Will follow up with bedside staff to correct this oversight.”.
Image source: SamwiseofReddit, Kara
It is important to note that physicians also frequently rely on humor as a way to cope with the intense pressure of medical environments, including emotionally difficult cases, and overwhelming workloads. Noldus highlights that dark or gallows humor, such as dry, ironic remarks about challenging situations, can help release stress and strengthen team bonds.
This practice reflects relief theory, which suggests that laughter helps discharge accumulated emotional tension from ongoing demands. However, this type of humor is generally kept within trusted professional circles, as sharing it more broadly could be misunderstood or perceived as insensitive.
#10
In the indications for an order for vitamin C: “this be treatment for scurvy”.
Image source: maygpie, zinkevych
#11
A cardiologist wrote “I discussed with the patient that if he chooses to forgo the recommendations of the American Heart Association he is welcome to reach out to his local shaman for advice regarding his heart failure”.
Image source: Dangerous-Affect-888, PIXLE AI ART
#12
Maybe not the physician notes per se, but under the “reason for visit” section: “I’m allergic to circles.”.
Image source: Nurse_Hatchet, Osarugue Igbinoba
According to Residency Advisor, some of the most amusing chart entries don’t stem from clinician error at all, but from the way patients describe their own symptoms or behaviors. When physicians document these statements faithfully and objectively, the resulting wording can unintentionally come across as funny.
Because progress notes aim to reflect patient-reported experiences accurately, colorful or unusually phrased descriptions sometimes make their way directly into the medical record, creating chart entries that are inadvertently humorous while still remaining clinically appropriate.
#13
On an advanced heart failure/transplant ICU:
Patient eating Taco Bell during rounds. When providing education on the salt content of fast food, patient states he is “eating it slowly”.
Image source: deejay1421, rjankovsky
#14
In a Psych facility, had a Doctor write the order, “Pt may sleep with therapist.”
They meant to write “speak”.
Image source: JacksEmptyWallet, prostooleh
#15
A pt with an old TBI was admitted for something acute and the hospitalist ended his note with with, “Patient claims to have knowledge of the afterlife.” I got a huge bang out of this note, then I admitted her and ALL she talked about was the afterlife. She was very sweet!
Image source: JonnyRoPo, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
At the heart of these hilarious physician notes, there’s more than just a good laugh, it’s a glimpse into the quirky, human side of medicine. Doctors aren’t just recording symptoms and lab results, sometimes they’re capturing moments that are absurd, charming, or downright unbelievable.
Whether it’s a note about a patient’s unusual habit, a witty observation, or a bizarre mishap in the exam room, these entries remind us that humor can pop up in the most unexpected places. Curious to see which ones will leave you laughing, shaking your head, or both? Just keep scrolling!
#16
“Patient appears way older than biological age”.
Image source: red-ky, bialasiewicz
#17
Not a physician but one of our social workers described a patient who was pretty simple as having ‘a strong foundation in concrete thinking’.
Image source: Critical_Ad3558, peoplecreations
#18
“I simply could not tell if the patient was minimally happy or consistently angry.”.
Image source: chafingthedreammn, laowaika
#19
Something about a patient inhaling a mummified dog and “???” was included 😅😭.
Image source: Pleasant-Complex978, creativepack
#20
Note from a cardiology PA about a young woman with CHF:
“Patient stated ‘My private part is all swollen.’ I did not personally confirm the situation.”
From an MD who’s an avid golfer:
“Of note, patient recently attended a golf tournament in which he claims to have made two hole-in-ones. I do not believe this to be the case, as that would be impossible.”.
Image source: belerieux22, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
#21
First line of an IM consult:
“I believe that I was consulted on this patient because this guy just showed up in my list because of an order placed in epic.”.
Image source: NeverADullShift, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
#22
Don’t know the context but they dictated “father had a brain” which to this day makes me lol.
Image source: PermitNeat1597, DC Studio
#23
Transcribed by the intake nurse from the pediatrician but in quotes “head the size of a basketball with the body of a skeleton” 😳 for a failure to thrive infant.
Image source: Is_Butter_A_Carb, pvproductions
#24
Intensivist doing a consult – “the only help this patient needed from me was finding his nasal cannula in his blanket.”.
Image source: thecalicoleopard, seventyfour
#25
“Patient complaining of pain at tip of male organ”
Patient was a woman who has never had it.
Image source: murse2018, DC Studio
#26
Assessing the patient as intubated on full support despite the patient being extubated several days ago and on room air.
The copy/pasting of notes has gotta stop.
Image source: Critical_Ad3558, ufabizphoto
#27
Can I talk about a note written by a social worker? “Client introduced writer to her cat (a stuffed toy) and proceeded to feed the stuffed kitten butter with a spoon. There was butter all over the couch.”.
Image source: Particular_Piglet677, nataliaderiabina
#28
“Pt has bucket of nicotine in room.”
Dude had a Cosco sized container of chewing tobacco he’d go through in a week. Just something about reading “bucket of nicotine” gave me some giggles.
Image source: bookscoffeeandbooze, jiradej
#29
Our ID doctor always will write “__ is a very unpleasant __ year old” on our rude patients charts and it always makes me giggle.
Image source: and1boi, freepik
#30
Patient presents with
• Chest Pain
*Pt stated “I have pain in my heart for 3 weeks, yesterday and this morning everything went dark.”*
Verbatim as written in the chart. Idk why but this sounded too much like a heartbroken poem or something to me.
Image source: sonny513, photoroyalty
#31
I couldn’t even recall exact examples but I work with a surgeon who is.. vocal. It’s hilarious and endearing but lord the man is dramatic
He dictates the same way he complains during cases and it’s so funny.
Image source: TheThrivingest
Follow Us
