While keeping identification documents and insurance information on hand is probably a common occurrence, keeping your medical information organized and on hand is probably less common. For this folder I would highly recommend keeping the following documents on hand:
Medical records – Ask for a copy of your medical records from every doctor that you have seen. This will allow any new doctor that you visit to know your complete medical history quickly, without having to request medical documents and wait for them to be shipped to their office. This is especially important in an emergency situation that you experience if you have recently moved to a new city, state, or country.
Medical log – Keep a journal of your medical and health experiences. For example you may document that your child was immunized on October 15, 2004 and then he ran a fever of 102.5 12 hours later, and that he also broke out in a rash. You will also want to document when you have reactions to certain foods. To document this type of reaction you need to write down what you ate, how long it took before you experienced the reaction, what the reaction was, how severe it was, how long it lasted, and what treatments (either over-the-counter or professional medical treatment) you received. By keeping a log of these types of events you can find patterns of causes and effects that may otherwise not be able to be identified. This log is especially important to make for children and the elderly.
List of prescription drugs – Keep a list of what drugs you take, when you take them, how long you have been taking them, what the drug is intended to treat, who prescribed the medication, and why they prescribed it.
List of allergies – Keep a list of all the things that you know you are allergic to. You may even want to make a second list of items that give you heartburn or upset your stomach in some other way. Also provide treatment information on what should be done in case you accidentally eat one of the foods that you are allergic too, including doctor contact, and what immediate steps need to be taken such as giving an injection or adrenaline.
List of over-the-counter drugs and supplements that you are taking. This will include aspirin, herbs, and antacids. The importance of this list is based on the potential for drug interactions with these types of items to occur that may threaten your health if a doctor is not aware that you are taking these OTC items.
Doctor information should also be kept in this folder. Include doctor’s name, address, phone number, what kind of doctor they are, and how long you have been seeing them.