HELP DOCTORS HELP YOU
No One Knows You and Your Health Like You, And Being Able To Clearly Communicate Your Needs Is Vital
The best thing you can do for you, your loved ones and medical care team, should you need to go to the hospital for any reason whether for an annual visit, emergency visit, any surgery or medical treatment is to have a Medical Health Sheet ready, keeping your health history updated and being able to communicate any symptoms can expedite care.
Why is Knowing Your Medical History Important?
A personal medical history helps a clinician understand the whole picture of you as a patient. That’s especially true when you’re seeing a health care provider for the first time, or when you see multiple providers. Not only does this history help the health care providers, it gives you a truer picture of your own long-term health. Note: It’s important to keep track of surgeries and medications but be sure to also include procedures like mammograms and colonoscopies.
Keep a detailed record of your medical history and all past and current medications, vitamins, and herbs. Bring this information with you to every medical appointment. Tell them about any drug allergies you have.
Why Are Medication Lists Important?
Most medical practices will ask for a copy of this list when you sign on as a new patient. It’s a good idea to keep an up-to-date list handy (maybe on the refrigerator door) for emergencies. You may even want to give copies to family members in case of an emergency. We’ve created a medication list card that can fit easily in a purse or wallet.
Patients understand their condition and needs better than many medical professionals do. - Patient led research hub may also have ideas about what research would be most beneficial to their lives.
Fill out our Medical Health Template for each member of your family as soon as you can and keep it updated with your important medical information on one page so they can be communicated with ease when/if you ever have an emergency or need to see a medical professional.
A Medical Health Sheet could be a one pager that includes:
The best thing you can do for you, your loved ones and medical care team, should you need to go to the hospital for any reason whether for an annual visit, emergency visit, any surgery or medical treatment is to have a Medical Health Sheet ready, keeping your health history updated and being able to communicate any symptoms can expedite care.
Why is Knowing Your Medical History Important?
A personal medical history helps a clinician understand the whole picture of you as a patient. That’s especially true when you’re seeing a health care provider for the first time, or when you see multiple providers. Not only does this history help the health care providers, it gives you a truer picture of your own long-term health. Note: It’s important to keep track of surgeries and medications but be sure to also include procedures like mammograms and colonoscopies.
Keep a detailed record of your medical history and all past and current medications, vitamins, and herbs. Bring this information with you to every medical appointment. Tell them about any drug allergies you have.
Why Are Medication Lists Important?
Most medical practices will ask for a copy of this list when you sign on as a new patient. It’s a good idea to keep an up-to-date list handy (maybe on the refrigerator door) for emergencies. You may even want to give copies to family members in case of an emergency. We’ve created a medication list card that can fit easily in a purse or wallet.
Patients understand their condition and needs better than many medical professionals do. - Patient led research hub may also have ideas about what research would be most beneficial to their lives.
Fill out our Medical Health Template for each member of your family as soon as you can and keep it updated with your important medical information on one page so they can be communicated with ease when/if you ever have an emergency or need to see a medical professional.
A Medical Health Sheet could be a one pager that includes:
- medical histories + vitals
- any allergies
- medication
- diagnoses
- special needs
- any symptoms and progress
- Medical history & recent clinical notes
- Diagnosis Report(s)
- Images with reports (CT, MRI, Xray, Nuclear Medicine) – CDs must be DICOM compatible
- Operative reports (if applicable)
- Pathology reports and slides/blocks (if applicable)
- List of Treatments received (chemotherapy/radiation with dosage and frequency)
- Current list of medications
- Recent labs & tumor markers (if applicable)
- Doctor Referral
- A complete medical history health sheet can help your doctors, nurses and caretakers understand your needs better. Clarity and a detailed picture of your health can be life saving and is always helpful.
** Hardcopies are great but you can also easily keep progress, information and details handy and email them to your caretakers, nurses and doctors if necessary on the spot
How To Fill Out and Use Your Medical One Pager For Patients
NEW We have made our Medical Health Sheet Template to be available on more formats!
The Medical Health Summary One Pager For Patients is available on Dropbox if you select the buttons to click to fill out a medical health template, but if you'd also like to access the template on Google Drive, as a Word Doc or txt file format, for easier use and version creation, for longer comprehensive medical health histories or a quick snapshot for emergencies and specific treatment visits, the templates are available for downloading in any of those formats if you click on this link as well for $2 on Etsy that helps cover costs for us to be able to provide resources for patients should anyone want different formats.
(We really appreciate it.)
Please feel free to download, open and edit for each member of your family.
As with any template, please pay attention to instructions and spaces where you will want to replace the fields with your own relevant information.
To use the template:
NEW We have made our Medical Health Sheet Template to be available on more formats!
The Medical Health Summary One Pager For Patients is available on Dropbox if you select the buttons to click to fill out a medical health template, but if you'd also like to access the template on Google Drive, as a Word Doc or txt file format, for easier use and version creation, for longer comprehensive medical health histories or a quick snapshot for emergencies and specific treatment visits, the templates are available for downloading in any of those formats if you click on this link as well for $2 on Etsy that helps cover costs for us to be able to provide resources for patients should anyone want different formats.
(We really appreciate it.)
Please feel free to download, open and edit for each member of your family.
As with any template, please pay attention to instructions and spaces where you will want to replace the fields with your own relevant information.
To use the template:
- Download the template and save a master copy to refer back to if you ever need it for any ER, hospital visit or doctor’s visit. This template can also work for your dentist. In fact we recommend updating a longer more in depth copy of the medical one pager with greater detail in the Summary of Care as added pages in case you are seeing a new doctor or specialist for the first time. We’ll update Gage with more templates that can be used for subsequent visits such as a food diary, habit tracker and such. Many thanks to Melissa Wiley for inspiring this template.
- We cannot recommend a bullet journal, a Purpose Planner (our favorite and most recommended planner) or medical health journal more and will try to publish one that can also be saved and reused/updated digitally or printed and updated soon.
- To use this copy, save a copy of the template and fill it out the details per the prompts for each family member.
- When you’re done filling out your one pager, save a copy and text/email it to yourself so you can show it to your doctor and/or even email it to them when you get there. If possible and you have access to a computer and printer, take multiple copies with you. It will help everyone if you do not need to repeat yourself over and over again.
- Remember to be concise and brief but complete so the doctors and nurses can get you the care you need fast. If you have special conditions, any allergies, are taking any medication or vitamins, do be sure to list it in there so they can be well informed to help match you with the best treatment for you.
- Do try to fill this out while you are healthy and able to edit each piece of information and add any important information. If you have fewer diagnoses (DX) and particulars, omit/edit entire sections if you like.
- To add more or less tables in the Summary of Care, left click and or go to edit and add them or subtract them. Be sure to highlight important parts in your one pager in yellow so they stand out if you'd like also.
- Take a copy and keep it with you while you are being treated, it can help make your visit and your doctor’s and nurse’s lives easier all around. :)
- Good luck and wish you all the best.