If you are going to ask me, keeping your personal health records intact and within reach at all times is not all about being organized but more of a convenience on your part. As you grow old, you will notice that every visit to your doctor will mean an additional health question or inquiry or perhaps a test that you need to follow through. If you are like me who tends to forget yesterday’s activities before today’s sundown, then all the more reason for you to have your medical records in one place.
Keeping a reasonably organized personal health record or medical history is fairly easily. If you are a senior who won’t bother with details then just have a box where you dump all your records and prescriptions after each trip to your doctor’s clinic. However, if you would like to be very specific about it, then it will be a good idea to keep a medical journal where you jot down your visits as well as your doctor’s findings—you can even have your doctor write his thoughts on your journal so there will be no misunderstandings if and when that entry will be used for reference.
Keeping track of your medical history is not that easy since you most probably have visited several doctors for consultations over the years. Of course, you can always request for a copy of your medical records with each and every clinic you have had but just consider for a second how inconvenient that would be especially if your current doctor needs them badly, where as if you have been keeping your own personal health record, you are sure to receive the best possible health care for your condition. Other uses for personal health records are:
•    To remind you when your next appointment with the doctor should be as well as his contact number in case of an emergency.
•    To determine if your last lab result is still suitable for reference or if you need to undergo another test.
•    To have an accurate basis when your symptoms or condition started and when it got worse.
A simple personal health record should include:
•    Name
•    Birthdate
•    Blood type
•    Major illnesses or condition
•    List of medicines you have been taking as well as those you have had in the past—should include over-the-counter medications too.
•    Allergies
•    History of illnesses in your family particularly those of you immediate family.
•    Who to contact in case of an emergency