One of the big lessons we learned in the early aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was that thousands of people found themselves not only homeless, but without their life sustaining medications. Compounding this problem was the fact that many of these people didn't know what drugs they were taking, nor did they know why.
With medical offices and pharmacies out of commission from the storm, access to the information was impossible. Hundreds of people died or suffered severe complications of their medical conditions because of the delays in diagnosing and treating without access to these medical records.
An accurate and complete medical history can help a physician diagnose and treat a new symptom or condition far better than a physical examination and costly tests.
Patient responsibility in health care today demands that patients be informed and educated about their health status. It is vital for patients to understand their medical history, know the medications they routinely take, and the risks and potential symptoms to look for.
Everyone should have a basic medical history in their possesion, and keep a copy in a safe place away from their own residence. This should include the following demographic information:
- Your full name
- Date of birth
- Sex
- Your address and phone number(s) (home, work, cell)
- Health insurance information (make a copy of both sides of your card(s) and attach)
- Emergency contact person (next of kin and/or neighbor)
- Person with Power of Attorney for Health Care (attach a copy of your directives)
- Name and phone number of your primary health care practitioner
- Name and phone number of your dentist
- Name and phone number of your pharmacy
- Names and phone numbers of all specialty health care practitioners (include chiropractor and other alternative medicine practitioners)
Keep a Current List of :
- All known ALLERGIES (medication allergies should list the reaction you had and when)
- All medications you take include the dosage and frequency including vitamins and supplements
- All OTC (over-the-counter) medications you take (i.e. for headache, mild pain, constipation, diarrhea)
- Dates of all vaccinations
- All current medical diagnoses
- History of symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, hypo/hyperglycemia, indigestion
- Past illnesses including childhood illness
- All surgeries and dates
- Any broken bones and dates
- Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, clinical trials, electric shock, etc. and dates
- Females: last menstrual period, number of pregnancies: live births, still births, miscarriages
- last PAP smear, mammogram, bone density
- Males: PSA and prostate exam
- Do you smoke? Have you smoked in the past? How many/day?
- Do you consume alcohol (how much and how often)
- Do you use street drugs (what and when?)
Also list your risks for disease due to family history of certain high profile diseases: (include who and when diagnosed)
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Kidney disease
- Arthritis
- Neuromuscular diseases
If you have Advance Directives attach a copy to this document.
Ask your primary health care practitioner for copies of results latest blood work or other tests and attach them. Keep this information updated.
You should also keep a list of your medications and health care practitioners in your wallet
Email a copy of this information to yourself at an Email address with web access such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. Save the file in your archives and keep it up to date. Keep a copy of this information in your personal emergency/disaster kit.
Kathy Quan - Kathy Quan RN BSN has been a home health/hospice nurse for over 30 years. She has authored five books and writes for several online ...
