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Maintaining Up To Date Medical Records
by Edward Ricci
http://medictag.com
Do you know what information you need in a medical
emergency?
Being prepared can make a life saving difference in an
emergency situation.
Who needs to keep their information available and updated?
Actually, all of us should but very few do. However for
those at risk, such as seniors, people with chronic
illness, serious allergies or medication complications,
special needs children and anyone traveling away from home
it is something that should not be overlooked. Children
should also have the proper medical information on them at
all times if they have a medical condition or serious
allergy.
"In a medical emergency, you might be unconscious or
unable to speak for yourself," said Alfred Sacchetti, MD,
of the American College of Emergency Physicians
(ACEP). "That's why it's so important to make sure that
medical personnel have access to your medical history, as
well as relevant contact information. For example, knowing
what medications you are taking could prevent severe drug
interactions, and knowing what allergies you have could
prevent serious reactions."
Millions of Americans have medical conditions which should
be immediately known to Emergency Personnel.
Diabetes (over 13 million), diagnosed heart disease (23
million), alzheimers, transplant surgery, patient's
currently on blood thinners such as Coumadin, epilepsy,
asthma, severe allergies, cancer patients and medication
allergies such as penicillin and other antibiotics are all
conditions that should be brought to the attention of
emergency personnel. Additionally, many of us are
reasonably health but getting older (36 million people age
65 and over) and our list of medications continue to grow
with the years. With over 110 million emergency room
visits a year, your emergency information may actually be
the most important information of your life.
What information should be maintained?
Here are just some of the things recommended by Edward
Stettner, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine,
Emory University Atlanta, GA and other healthcare
professionals.
- Medical history - Chronic medical conditions
- Medications - Including over-the-counter
- Allergies - Medications and foods
- Surgical history - Include the date, hospital and
surgeon
- Private physician - Include primary care as well
as specialists
- Emergency contacts - Multiple contacts with
alternate numbers
- Miscellaneous - Include advance directives,
specific dietary needs, or any other important
information.
How can you keep your information available and up to
date?
Today you have many options that allow you to have your
emergency information available. Which one you choose
should be based on your personal needs and risk factors.
The "Vial of Life" program is a free program designed for
seniors and individuals with serious medical conditions.
It provides medical information to emergency personnel who
respond to and treat home emergencies. The "Vial of Life"
contains much of the medical information needed by
emergency personnel, such as existing medical conditions,
allergies, medication currently being taken, and emergency
contact information. Medical history and emergency
information forms are also available on-line from the Mayo
Clinic and the American Medical Association. The American
Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of
Emergency Physicians have also created an Emergency
Information Form (EIF) for parents of children with
special health care needs.
There are also a number of monitoring services available
that will maintain your information for you and provide in
home alert devices that will dispatch emergency services
if the need arises. These are all good solutions for the
home but do not provide coverage when you are away from
the house.
As a minimum, anyone with an existing medical condition or
that has special emergency needs should wear some type of
medical ID to alert medics to their situation.
So how do you carry all that information around with you?
Digital technology allows a very large amount of
information to be stored on surprisingly small devices.
Here at MedicTag we have adapted this technology to
produce an emergency information device that fits on a
keyring. The device is simple to use and works with your
desktop or laptop computer. You can fill out the
information form and make changes whenever necessary,
always keeping your emergency information up to date.
Emergency responders on site with a laptop or at the
emergency room can have instant access to your vital
information, even if you are unconscious, allowing them to
diagnose and properly treat you with as little delay as
possible.
Do you need to have your emergency information available?
For most of us the answer is probably yes. If not you,
how about a child, parent or other loved one in your
family? Considering the possible life saving benefits, it
is something that we should seriously consider, for safety
and security that affects the whole family.
Additional resources and references:
- Vial of Life
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- The Mayo Clinic
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services
- American College of Emergency Physicians
- The American Medical Association
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