Why Should You Organise Your Medical Records?

Because life is busy enough already.

Keeping your medical records in one place saves time, reduces stress, helps doctors understand your medical history, and means important information is always at your fingertips. You'll spend less time searching through paperwork and more time focusing on your health.

Decide Whose Records You're Organising

Are you organising your own health, your child's, your whole family's, or helping an ageing parent?

If you're keeping records for more than one person, give everyone their own section, but make sure you label it properly. Future you will be very grateful when you're not flicking through pages trying to work out whose blood test results you're looking at! Put their name on the top of each relevant page, keep it to one person on one page- don’t mix them up.

What records should you keep?

You don’t need to keep every single thing, but make sure to record any changes in health conditions, new specialists, surgeries and medications etc.

See below for a list of ideas.

* Current medications. Include doses, who prescribed them and for what reason.

* Allergies/sensitivities/reactions – what were you exposed to? what happened? and when? Doctors love this information.

* Medical conditions and diagnoses. Including the year diagnosed and who diagnosed it.

* Specialists. Document their contact details, and note when their referrals expire.

* GP appointments and contact details.

* Appointment notes – a short note about what was discussed will suffice.

* Blood test results. Keeping track of these helps you monitor your general health. You’ll be able to track if you’re improving or need to make any changes to your lifestyle.

* Imaging reports

* Surgical history – when? Which hospital? Which surgeon?

* Dental History

* Eye health and optometrist checks

* Hospital admissions and Emergency Department visits

* Vaccinations

* Allied health visits and contact information – short documentation of physio, chiro, psychology etc.

* Questions for your doctor on your next visit – write them down and remember to bring this with you! There’s nothing worse than remembering the question you forgot to ask when you’re driving home after your appointment!

Create Categories

Once you've gathered your records, group similar information together. It makes finding what you need much quicker, especially when you're sitting in a doctor's office trying to answer questions.
For multiple family members, keep the categories the same, and label each page clearly with whose record it is.

Some helpful categories include:

* Alerts/Allergies

* Appointments

* Medications

* Specialists

* Test Results

* Hospitalisations

* Surgeries/Procedures

* Health Trackers

A simple system now can save you a lot of time and stress later.

Keep Everything Together

Whether you use a folder, a digital system, or a dedicated Medical Record Planner, keeping all of your health information in one place makes life much easier. You'll always know where to find important information before appointments, in an emergency, or whenever a new healthcare provider needs your medical history.
My favourite method is paper based - and using a ring binder, so that you can 'edit it' over and over again. Simply add in sections, take out sections, and never run out of space. 

If you're looking for a flexible paper-based system, our Medical Record Planner is designed to keep appointments, medications, specialists, test results and much more together in one easy-to-use ring binder.

Update It After Every Appointment

One small habit can make a big difference. Spend five minutes after each appointment recording:

* What was discussed

* Any medication changes

* Tests or scans that were ordered

* Follow-up appointments or next steps – make sure you don’t forget to actually do what the doctor asked you to do, and record this information. Your future self will thank you when you don't have to rely on memory at your next appointment!

Bring it with you

This is a little obvious – but don’t leave it at home!

So when a doctor asks "What medication did the cardiologist prescribe?"

you have the answer there with you.

Review it every few months

The boring part, but worth doing.

Remove old paperwork.

Update medication lists.

Check contact details.

Keep it current.

Organising your medical records doesn't have to be complicated.

Start with what you have, build a system that suits you, and spend less time searching for information – just grab it and go. 

If you're ready to get organised, take a look at our Medical Record Planner and see if it will suit your needs. 

If this post has been helpful, check out our Chronic Illness Management: 8 Ways to Stay Organised and Feel More in Control.

We only get one body, let’s look after it.