To Your Health! - How To Organize Your Health Information

How many times have you shown up to a doctor's appointment and been handed a stack of multi-colored double sided forms to fill out? You scan the information and realize that you don't necessarily remember when you had your tonsils out as a child or the name of the medicine that caused you to break out in hives five years ago. You soldier on valiantly, filling in the blanks as best you can, hoping that your memory lapses won't come back to haunt you. Having complete and accurate records for everyone in your family is not just a nice thing to have, it's essential. The good news is that getting them in order is a straightforward organizational task.

Alicia on 'Why It Matters'

Medical histories are a critical tool for doctors as they help them identify potential issues, make diagnoses, and define safe treatment plans. Your medical records and family history provide essential information and data points that can give a doctor a better picture of what might be ailing you today or what you may want to keep an eye on in the future. It is an investment in you and your family's long term health that is absolutely worth making.

Sarah on 'The Basics'

The first step towards keeping accurate medical information is to capture the critical particulars for every member in your family. Basic information should include at a minimum the following: Family doctor name and contact numbers, insurance information including copy of insurance card, medications currently being taken on a regular basis as well as dosage, allergies to medications or anything else, blood type, any current or recent medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, asthma) , and pharmacy name and phone number. Type it up and store on your computer so you can print out a copy and take to your doctor appointments or an emergency room visit.

Here are three additional areas to think about when organizing your medical information. These are intended to be a great starting point, but please always check with your own doctor about additional data that would be helpful to have.

#1: Past

Mapping your family's medical history will provide any medical professional with a solid foundation for understanding what you may be at risk for in the future. At your next family gathering, take some time to learn more about your family's health history if you don't already have a clear picture. Make note of any illnesses among your grand parents, aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings. For those relatives who have passed away note what they died from and how old they were. In addition, keep track of your significant illnesses and hospitalizations. The more information you can collect in this area the clearer the picture for doctors down the line.

#2: Present

Keep a running list of things you want to talk to your doctor about on your next visit. They may be as minor as a small heartburn problem or as important as remembering to get your cholesterol checked. If you jot things down when they come to mind, you will be less likely to forget something that could be important to discuss at your next checkup. This is a great thing to do for your kids as well so that when you meet with the pediatrician you can not only discuss big health concerns but you can also remember the little things like toilet training issues and how to stop thumb sucking.

#3: Future

Keep handy a list of screening tests that can help identify problems well in advance and make a note of when you should first have them done. These are obviously different for each person and change as we get older. Examples include cholesterol screening, diabetes test, mammogram, colonoscopy, skin exam, eye exam, hearing test, bone density scan and EKG.

Where is Your Health Information? Not Knowing Could Kill You!

Do you have a family doctor? How long have you been his/her patient? Do even they have a complete and comprehensive picture of your medical history going all the way back to birth? Not many do these days. Family doctors are hard to find and the result is that there isn't really anyone at the helm of your healthcare. There isn't that consistency that existed in the days of housecalls.

Of course, the day of the housecall has long since seen sunset, but if you're not under the care of a G.P. (general practitioner), then who is making sure you get your annual physical? Who is plotting and planning to get those middle age tests looked after? And, who has ALL of your medical records.

These days, we are all in a hurry and in a society of global mobility, our records are being scattered hither and yon! The walk-in clinic you visited last week has a record of your prescription for that nasty chest cough. And the emergency room that you took your son to after that little soccer incident has the x-ray of his sprained ankle. But does anyone, anywhere have a record of everything ... every treatment that has been undertaken ... every medication ...

In all, one million adults and 130,000 children in Ontario alone don't have a family doctor. The OMA says the province needs 1,000 general practitioners now. (Hamilton Spectator Nov. 26, 2007) (This number grows exponentially when you look across North America ... to a whopping 9.8 million!! - US Govt. Committee on Healthcare, Statistics -June, 2007). Government has, over the past few years, introduced a number of programs to provide more medical care especially to rural settings, but is it enough?

There's too much room for error with numbers like this staring healthcare in the face ... medical error that is! And medical errors cost money and lives!! People's lives are permanently changed or even ended unnecessarily every day across North America due to the lack of essential information needed for doctors to make informed decisions about our care. The time for change is NOW!

But who needs to make the change exactly? Governments across North America and worldwide are recognizing the need and making funds available to improve communication capabilities in the medical industry. Medical practitionners have long-since noted a gap in the flow of information between facilities, private practices and healthcare providers of all sorts. All of these groups are thoughtfully and positively working toward change, but I would suggest that it is not their sole responsibility.

In fact, I would argue that responsibility is just as much that of the individual as it is their doctors' and governments'.

So today's order of business ... where is your personal health information right now ... right this minute? Do you have it neatly organized and typed on your computer or does only your doctor or medical practitioner know for sure? Maybe there's a trail of prescriptions dating back to 1985 somewhere in your medicine cabinet?

Here's the rub folks ... you never know when you might need to know about yours or your family's medical infomation! What if you're on vacation thousands of miles from your doctor's office or what if they're just not available at the time? You just never know when your health information will be needed to help you or someone you love in a crisis?

Medical information technology is forefront in the new US administration's mandate and your information is in their sights. Canada is working hard to implement a system for health communication as well. But their systems are still years away. What are you going to do in the meantime?

It's up to you to take control! Do it! You have both the right and the responsibility to make sure that your health information is accurate, complete and current.

Bottom line ... something is always better than nothing. Even if you just take a few minutes to write down life threatening conditions, a little of your medical history and what medications you take regularly, it's better than leaving things to chance. Emergency contact information is also important in any personal health record so that healthcare providers can get in touch with someone who knows and cares about you. Keep your notes in your wallet and give a copy to someone who cares about you.