My Medical History - Your Medical History
Cut-Copy-Paste Basics Windows Tips & Tricks Email Solutions PC Maintenance SecurityWorking with MSWord Special Symbols: £ ¢ ® © Ñ ¾ ¿ ¥ Free Downloadable Music
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My Medical History - Your Medical HistoryCut-Copy-Paste Basics Windows Tips & Tricks Email Solutions PC Maintenance SecurityWorking with MSWord Special Symbols: £ ¢ ® © Ñ ¾ ¿ ¥ Free Downloadable Music
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My Medical History — Your Medical History
One of the first things I ever did with a computer years ago was create a page showing my complete medical history, along with current medications I might be taking, and drugs to which I was allergic. Thus, in the event of an emergency or going to a new physician, I could hand the doctor and staffers up-to-date information about my health. You'd be surprised at the reactions I've gotten, like "Wow! This is great. I wish all our patients would hand us one of these!" As for preparing a Medical History document, I chose MSWord to create a page showing my name, age, and phone numbers, along with names and numbers of those whom I would want contacted in an emergency. I did not include my home address, social security number, or medical insurance information, since doing so could make identity theft easier if the document should fall into malevolent hands. I then listed the names and phone numbers of my family physician and dentist. Next I typed in a list of my current meds, and used the TAB key to create a column showing their prescribed dosages and when taken. Then I listed the drugs to which I'm allergic in bold, red text. Finally, I listed all the surgeries I've had, along with the names of the doctors who attended me and in which hospitals. Well, almost all — I don't remember who took my tonsils out when I was nine. I carry a few print-outs in my car's glove compartment as well as in my wallet, while others are kept on a shelf near my PC. Mary, of course, keeps a few copies in her purse. Any time something new needs to be added (like when I had cataract surgery) we update the page, and dispose of all previous copies. When I mentioned this in my newspaper column a while back, I got a lot of response from readers. One lady wrote: "I put my records into a spreadsheet, in which I have a column for Prescriptions, where I enter their costs. I also have a column for Location, in which I put my driving mileage. And I have a column for Comments, where I can enter prescription numbers, doctor's name, purpose of medication, and any other pertinent info applying to other entries, such as dentist, eye doctor or other specialist. "The Comments column can be on a second page that some might not want to print out. But they would have valuable IRS information readily available at tax time. I have also printed out part of this spreadsheet to include in my current tax return when there were unusually high expenditures that might trigger an audit." More on Maintaining a Digital Copy of Your Medical RecordsAnother reader suggested copying the file to a USB flash memory drive, which could be attached to a key chain and kept within easy reach. If you have a web-based email account, simply send yourself a letter with the document attached. No matter where we are nowadays, we can always access web-stored mail, along with any attachments. Gmail, for instance, offers 2.5 gigabytes of free storage space. AIM mail offers 2 gigabytes. Hotmail and Yahoo Mail have similar large storage options. You can even put the document directly into the body of an email, and not bother with an attachment. This, however, could increase the chances of the information being casually seen by others for whom it may not have been intended. © - Donald Ray Edrington - All Rights Reserved
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