I Need to Find Medical Records for a Family Member

• Facts Family unit Medical Records
• Why should people deport their ain medical records?
• Tin't a patient's records be obtained from the family doctor?
• What are the possible barriers for patients providing acceptable medical information for a physician?
• Things Doctors Want to Know When They Evaluate a Patient
• Important Data to Have in Your Personal File
• How to do I access my family's medical information?
• Sample History: Important Data to Carry at All Times on a Single Folio
• Home Medical Records
• Family Medical Records Topic Guide

Facts Family unit Medical Records

The personal medical history, every bit recorded in the medical record, can play a central role in evaluating patients in a variety of medical settings, specially in emergencies. When doctors evaluate patients for any medical issue or complaint, easy admission to the medical history of the patient helps the doctor provide more efficient, accurate, and appropriate care and to minimize unnecessary and costly tests.

Having personal medical information readily bachelor can be particularly important in the following situations:

• During a visit to the emergency room
• Going to urgent-intendance centers
• Being evaluated before a surgery
• Visiting a new medico or a specialist for the outset time

Having electric current personal and family medical records tin be even more important for people who themselves are unable to provide their medical history fairly, such as children and the elderly.

With the advocacy of electronic medical records (EMR) or electronic health records (EHR) in recent years, medical information is more easily accessible by health-intendance professionals. However, it is still important to carry one'south own medical records. A few of the many reasons for this is the following:

• Records from one hospital may not be attainable by another infirmary.
• Records from one medical office using ane EMR system are not accessible from another medical office using dissimilar organisation.
• Say-so for release of records is still required for obtaining medical records from another doctor'due south office or medical facility.
• Lists of medications frequently modify during outpatient clinic visits, which may not be available to another clinic or emergency room.

Why should people comport their own medical records?

Why should I take to keep this data?

Personally carrying one'due south own medical records has many benefits when receiving medical intendance.

In many situations, especially in emergencies when a patient may be unresponsive or otherwise too sick to adequately provide information verbally, knowing the past medical history becomes vitally of import in initiating the correct and timely course of evaluation and treatment. Additionally, this information can significantly diminish the chances of repeating tests and afterwards reducing health-care costs.

Patients frequently arrive at hospitals without whatever data most their medical problems. This presents a difficult and sometimes potentially dangerous situation. Although the tests and medicines that doctors have are very powerful, they can too exist unsafe if used on the wrong person. Cognition of your medical problems can effectively prevent giving you the wrong medication or performing a risky or unnecessary test. Additionally, many of these tests are time-consuming and tin can delay of import treatments. If an private carries his/her own medical information for the doctor to review, it tin can allow the doc to salvage time and provide intendance more effectively and efficiently.

It is as well important to realize that in many emergency situations, a patient may arrive with inability to talk or may be unconscious, and evaluation and treatment demand to begin promptly before the patient'due south condition farther deteriorates. It is not uncommon that no one familiar with the patient is available to assist with providing medical history. Fifty-fifty when a family member, friend, or caregiver is available, they are often overwhelmed by the state of affairs and unable to focus in order to give the necessary information.

Across the need to provide advisable care is the importance of contacting family, friends, and other physicians who may know valuable data most a particular patient. Not only tin these people provide of import data, but they also can offer much-needed emotional and decision-making support for the patient. Having the ability to contact families early in a patient'south intendance can help simplify very complicated and challenging situations.

Emergency medical care tin can be life-saving but is oftentimes filled with difficult and expensive decisions that must exist made chop-chop. Maintaining one's own records is 1 of the best ways for someone to have an active role in his or her own health intendance and to ensure that he or she receives rapid, effective, and prophylactic handling in both emergency and routine medical situations.

Availability of personal health records is crucial even in nonemergency weather. For example, visiting a new md in the office can be stressful for a patient and he or she may non remember all the facts about their medical past. They also may not know how much of the information is pertinent. Although the doctor goes through a series of questions methodically, a patient may not be enlightened of all the facts that are important to the doctor.

Can't a patient'due south records exist obtained from the family unit doctor?

It is truthful that primary-intendance physicians or family physicians ofttimes have the almost electric current and comprehensive wellness records for their patients. Notwithstanding, to rely solely on the family doctor to exist bachelor all of the time and be able to locate the records instantaneously is unrealistic for these reasons:

• Emergencies tin happen at any time -- day, nighttime, weekend, and holidays -- and one's personal doctor may not available all the fourth dimension.
• A medical release form has to exist authorized past the patient individually or by patient representative for some other doctor, a specialist, or a facility to receive this information. This procedure is time-consuming, and information technology may have days or even weeks; information technology is normally associated with out-of-pocket administrative price.
• A patient may see multiple physicians for unlike health conditions, and information technology could take the family doctor some time to receive all the medical information from the consulting physicians.

What are the possible barriers for patients providing adequate medical data for a doctor?

In ideal situations, a patient will be able to answer a doctor's questions during the visit. However, very frequently, many of these questions are left unanswered or incorrectly answered. Some of the common reasons for inadequate patient-doctor advice are the post-obit:

• Stress and anxiety of an emergency situation
• Nervousness near seeing a new doctor
• Unresponsiveness or unconsciousness
• Being too sick or confused to communicate effectively
• Patient's or medico'south time constraints
• Not knowing the correct data about medical diseases or medications
• Being without relatives or caregivers who can provide or assist with the information
• Language barrier
• Not remembering all of the medical history or not knowing what role of by medical history may be important to the doctor

Things Doctors Desire to Know When They Evaluate a Patient

When doctors accept a medical history from a patient, they typically become through a structured, routine set of questions that are combined with their examination and diagnostic information to assist them to brand medical decisions.

Other than questions pertaining to a presenting symptom or complaint, doctors usually want to know previous medical problems, recent hospitalizations, chronic (long-standing) diseases, operations, current medications, allergies or intolerances to medications, social and occupational history, medical problems of family members, name of the principal-care or family physician, and the date of last visit to the medico.

QUESTION

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Important Information to Have in Your Personal File

Essential medical data volition be dissimilar for each person. Although information technology may not seem relevant, knowledge of fifty-fifty the smallest medical particular could potentially provide critically helpful data. Keeping an up-to-date and concise health tape for oneself and family members is strongly recommended for everyone.

Information technology is a expert idea to have a more than consummate list at home and more brief copy, ideally on one folio, with y'all at all times. Present, many people have a document for their personal health history on a domicile calculator and they can hands update information technology after each doctor or hospital visit. They can then print this document and accept it handy and available for unexpected medical situations. There is also reckoner software available that can keep and organize family medical records.

Some of the essential personal health records that should be kept in 1's permanent file at dwelling house may include the following:

• Major medical problems: a complete list of all electric current and past medical problems. This should include chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, emphysema, high blood pressure, loftier cholesterol, HIV/AIDS, cancers, strokes, centre attacks, ulcers, etc.
• Other medical and surgical history: list of whatsoever illnesses, hospitalizations, or operations you take had. This list should be comprehensive and should include a history of cigarette smoking history, alcohol consumption history, sexually transmitted diseases, serious infections, and major or minor operations, and mental-wellness disorders.
• Childbirth: Women should add a history of childbirth, including miscarriages, abortions, and cesarean sections as well as natural births and even adoption history.
• Current medications: a comprehensive listing of whatever current medications with dosages and frequencies (how often taken). Medicines such as blood thinners, h2o pills, blood pressure level pills, antibiotics, and antiseizure treatments have important interactions with one another and other drugs. Doctors demand this information to avoid potentially dangerous reactions. Included with this medication list should be any herbal, alternative, or over-the-counter medications you take because all of these can have potentially important furnishings on your treatment. Finally, go on a log on the blazon and dates yous were immunized including the date of your final tetanus booster.
• Allergies to medicines: Every bit important is a listing of all medical allergies and significant nutrient allergies (peanuts, shellfish, etc.). Some people take very serious allergies to common medications. Information technology is essential for doctors to know this information when treating people. When known, the precise type of allergic reaction should exist listed (itch, rash, hives, difficulty breathing, swelling, anaphylactic, or near fatal experience, etc.). Intolerances to medications are also important to note (such as nausea, vomiting, intestinal pain, headache, confusion, etc.).
• Family medical history: history of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, blood clots, cancer, and other conditions in blood relatives. This history can affect how yous are diagnosed and treated. Nigh of import are the histories of parents, siblings, and children, but medical data about other family unit members may be pertinent equally well.
• Phone numbers: telephone numbers of family members, treating doctors, therapists, chemist, or other health-care professionals. Each of these professionals can provide valuable information and tin exist very helpful during emergencies.
• Medical information: Some medical information are also important to take in personal medical records. Some examples include any abnormal laboratory tests or examinations (blood counts, kidney and liver functions), heart catheterization and stents, pacemaker, chest Ten-ray, etc.
• Children'south information: Y'all need to continue copies of your children's medical history as well. This should include not only all of the information above but also a tape of their childhood immunizations. If the kid is old plenty, he or she should be encouraged to carry their own medical records and contact telephone numbers.
• Advance directive, power of attorney for health care: Information technology is very important to take legal documents in place stating whom they designate to make decisions for them when they are unable to exercise so themselves and what their wishes may be. Frequently, family members and doctors are left with very hard life-and-death decisions to make about patients who are in a status where they are incapable of making decisions well-nigh their own care (confused, unconscious, on artificial breathing automobile, etc.). By having prepared these documents ahead of time, the burden of controlling is lifted from family members in these tough situations and, more chiefly, the patient's wishes are respected. The power of attorney for health care tin make decisions based on what they know the patient would desire in a item situation. Typically, your main dr. can guide yous in this process. These are legal documents and are mostly filled out with the help of an attorney.
• Individual'southward decisions most terminate-of-life decisions and physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST): Each individual may have a different view as to how they would want to be treated in critical medical situations in terms of heroic measures and artificial ways to sustain life (placement on a breathing automobile, performing CPR, artificial feeding, etc.). POLST is a new form which first became available in Oregon in the 1990s, and now it is available in many other states. This is a unmarried page in a bright color that is filled out by the patient and signed by their physician. It addresses the patient's specific wishes for particular clinical situations where life-and-death or life-sustaining decisions may be necessary. This form, or a copy of it, should be carried with the patient at all times.

How to do I admission my family'southward medical information?

How should I acquit and store all of this information?

Information technology would seem impossible, even impractical, to comport all of this information with you at all times. Fortunately, in that location are a number of reasonable alternatives to carrying a photocopied medical chart.

• Ane-page summary: The simplest, and arguably the best, fashion to have firsthand access to personal medical records is a ane-folio summary of your medical history. This single piece of paper could be carried in a handbag or wallet and should be kept with you at all times. This ane-page history should include the virtually disquisitional data that volition be useful in an emergency and too easy for a doc to get a quick idea of your personal health information in a non-emergent circumstance. This page should include the post-obit:
  • Proper noun, address, abode phone number, and appointment of birth
  • Name and contact of chief-care physician
  • Name and contact information of the side by side of kin or the best person who can provide additional health and personal information about you lot
  • Brief listing of chronic medical diseases and previous surgeries
  • List of all prescribed and over-the-counter medication with dose and frequency
  • Medication allergies
  • Health insurance data
  • Name and phone number of the pharmacy
  • Personal wishes in regard to end-of-life decisions (CPR, breathing machine, artificial life-saving heroic measures)
• Electronic medical records (EMR): The Internet provides another option for people to organize their family medical records online. Many companies have developed web sites designed for recording medical information that can exist reached from any reckoner with Internet access. Some of these companies even have options for printing a summary of the data that y'all tin carry with you. Additionally, some of the sites are designed to allow doctors access to the information in emergencies. The information is password protected, and some of the sites practice not charge for their services. These online electronic wellness records (EHR) sites are very useful; however, they do non replace the official medical records kept past your physicians and your hospital. They hold the data which you enter in a template and update personally for your own health-care records or for someone whom yous intendance for. Although, there are more and more than of these sites being adult, a few of them are listed below:
  • WebMD
  • Family Wellness Information Managing director
  • My Personal Health Records
  • Wellness Vault
  • Health Minder software
  • HealthIT.gov
• Electronic medical records (EMR) software is also becoming increasingly more available in medical offices and hospitals. Ane of the biggest advantages of this engineering is that a patient'due south tape can exist accessed each fourth dimension they go to the emergency room, hospital, or the doctor'due south office. So long every bit a patient goes to the same facility, the records could exist easily accessed during each visit by their treating doctors. All the same, it is worth noting that there is a diversity of EMR software, and facilities and hospitals often use different programs. Furthermore, if an individual presents to dissimilar hospitals, obtaining data from another facility has to exist authorized by the patient before whatever medical information can released under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Wireless access: The increasing popularity of handheld personal digital devices and other handheld computers allows you the choice of electronically maintaining your medical records. A number of companies and individuals have developed software for these personal data assistants that are specifically designed to concur medical information. These programs can be obtained from the Internet. Although some are free, many require a registration fee to obtain the consummate program. Software titles include Medical Records v10.2, Medical Records v2.0, Personal Medical Records v2.fourteen, Family Medical Records v3.0, and 4T Medical v1.3.
• Smartphone applications: There are currently similar phone applications ("apps") available that can be used for the purpose of storing and organizing i'due south personal medical information. Many medical records apps exist for smartphone (iPhone, Android, etc.) devices, some of which charge a fee while others are free of charge.

The i-folio personal health history is often preferred because it can exist accessed most easily in an emergency situation and is carried with the person all the time. Invariably, these electronic personal health record web sites require a password for your personal protection. Thus these health-record organizers could be difficult to access past health-intendance personnel if the individual is unable to log in. Oftentimes the medical staff may not know if a patient has one of these services online. A summary tin fifty-fifty be printed from some of these programs to be carried around and readily available.

Sample History: Of import Data to Bear at All Times on a Unmarried Page

Every bit mentioned in the previous section, useful and quick reference to personal medical records tin can be done most efficiently and practically on a unmarried page, ideally printed or legibly written, to include the following information:

• Name
• Domicile address and telephone
• Appointment of birth
• Emergency contacts (family members, neighbors, or friends)
• Physicians' name and contact information
• Drug allergies
• Current medications with doses and frequencies
• Chronic medical conditions (for instance, diabetes, high blood force per unit area, previous strokes previous heart attacks, asthma, ulcers, etc.)
• Past operations
• Medical insurance (health plan, phone numbers)
• Pharmacy name and phone number
• Advance directive, durable power of attorney for health care or POLST form (to designate another person for situations when ane is not mentally capable of making 1'southward own medical decisions)

Dwelling house Medical Records

More extensive and inclusive medical records can be kept at home. The more you know nearly your medical history (and that of your family unit), the more active function you are able to take in your medical care.

• Keep these types of information (in addition to the information already discussed):
  • Immunization records (both adult and children)
  • Names of all doctors and health-intendance professionals and their contact numbers
  • Chemist's shop telephone numbers
  • Poison control center telephone numbers (find your local poison control eye number now through the American Association of Poison Command Centers)
  • Copies of birth certificates
  • Examination results and medications
    • It is always a adept thought to continue runway of any tests such as cholesterol or claret pressure, specially if taking medications related to these conditions. If you change doctors or have a medical problem requiring emergency medical care, it is ofttimes helpful for you to exist able to provide so-called baseline values. What may be a normal blood pressure level for some can exist markedly abnormal for others. Information technology is also helpful to take a history of these values to judge the effectiveness of new or different medications for yourself.
    • Although the most of import information to proceed on hand are your current medications and doses (and medical allergies/adverse reactions experienced), it certainly would be helpful if you lot track by medications. This is very useful if yous change doctors. There is little utility in switching to a medication that you lot accept already tried and institute non to work. Obviously, new doctors would exist unable to know about past handling failures if you were unable to provide them this information.
    • If y'all run across different doctors, it is crucial to make sure each knows all of your medications. Yous tin can avoid dangerous combinations of drugs that have been prescribed past various specialists. If you use 1 chemist's to have your prescriptions filled, your chemist can give you a printout of all your medications and check for potential interactions.
• Store your medical records at home.
  • Handheld personal-assistant software interfaces with your home computer, allowing for storage on your home computer'southward hard drive.
  • The spider web sites permit maintenance of records online and too provide options for printing hard copies. There are also a number of other computer-based options, including spreadsheet software and record-keeping software.
  • For those without computer access, the simplest thing would be a file cabinet with folders for each member of the family. That way all of the important records would be in one place and would be like shooting fish in a barrel to access if needed. Paper copies of the important records are possible, and duplicate copies would be a expert idea.
• Special circumstances: The elderly
  • People who live in nursing homes and other senior-living arrangements are usually monitored by medical staff where they alive. If they go to the emergency department, hospital, or to a new dr., copies of their medications and health histories should be sent with them by the facility. This is very helpful, specially when the older person has underlying defoliation or memory loss and cannot give a history of the problem.
  • It is especially important for the older person to carry a limited medical history with them at all times. At the very to the lowest degree, they should accept contact information for how to obtain their medical data. People living lonely present a different challenge. For emergency medical personnel to be able to locate medical records in a timely fashion, the older person should keep these with them at all times, perchance in a wallet or something else that is always in their possession. (Posting this information on the within door of their apartment or room is a practical solution.) MedicAlert bracelets are i helpful solution, but these are not sufficient to include all of the important information. It is up to each person to make these records easily accessible.

Final Words on Family Health Records

• Always proceed your personal and family unit health records updated. If a new medication is added or dosage of a medication is changed, an important phone number is inverse, y'all accept seen a new doctor, you have a new diagnosis, or any other changes pertinent your or your family'southward health, the personal health records should reflect the changes.
• A person close to y'all needs to know that you have such medical records available and, more chiefly, needs to know where they are kept.
• Keep a i-page copy of updated personal health records with you at all times.
• If yous have questions nigh what may be important plenty to be placed on your personal medical records, consult with your primary-care or family md.

From

References

Medically reviewed past John A. Daller, Md; American Board of Surgery with subspecialty certification in surgical critical care

REFERENCE:

Brody, J.R. "A Case for Expanding the Dr.'s Checklist." The New York Times. 2000.

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Source: https://www.emedicinehealth.com/family_medical_records/article_em.htm

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