FREE TOOLS FOR SHARING HEALTH INFO WITH YOUR DOCTOR

This is the best appointment information form for patient and caregiver visits to the doctor that I have ever seen! You can view and print it HERE. The folks at CognisantMD partnered with patients and caregivers to develop their suite of FREE tools for health care engagement. Browse HERE - these are exactly what we need! 

 I suggest that you fill in one copy for your appointment and bring another blank copy to give to your doctor. Encourage him or her to share it with other patients! 

Ease the ER Experience: Awesome Tip From a Reader!

Facebook is a fantastic information sharing tool for natural caregivers. The Caregivers' Living Room has a page Here and lately we've been chatting about giving doctors and nurses an accurate picture of our loved ones in hospital. When our loved ones are elderly or have disabilities in the emergency room, it's easy for medical professionals to make negative assumptions about how they are on a good day. (It was Vickie Cammack's guest post Do You See What I See that got us thinking!) 

Caregiver Kim had a great suggestion. She proposes a one-pager with up to date information that medical staff need to get an accurate snapshot of the person. Kim's template has all the information that doctors need to know plus everything we WANT them to know. Thank you, Kim!

It seems like a lot, but once you get it done, it’s SUCH a good thing to have it on hand; and updating it only takes a minute.
1) First, I give the full legal name, followed by what he goes by (i.e. James Reginald Smith, goes by Jim)

2) Next, Date of Birth

3) Health Card Number and/or Insurance Details (even though the health card should be with the patient, it’s convenient to note it here)

4) List of Diagnoses (include allergies to medications, and any anaphylactic allergies). It may also be helpful to note the date of each diagnosis.

5) List of current medications; how long you’ve been taking them, what the dosage is and what the medication is for (as some meds are used off-label). This is where it’s important to update the page annually,and/ or with every change that occurs. (Also, the ER staff will ask which medications have been given that day - be prepared to answer that question.)

6) Previous surgeries (include year and place); serious illnesses/previous hospitalizations (include year and place)

7) For children, indicate if vaccinations are up to date. For adults, note when last booster shots were given (i.e. tetanus).

8) Behaviour/personality traits. This is where I’ve listed that my son is normally extremely active and very happy and content. This helps the doctor see how far from “normal” the patient is. (Note from Donna: I include a photo of my son and my Mom on their one-pagers so professionals in the ER can see their vibrant, smiling faces when they are healthy)

9) If they have problems communicating, or a different way of communicating, note that here.

10) How do they normally deal with pain? (i.e. do they have a high tolerance for pain?)

11) You might want to include any other information that would give an indication of what “normal” activity and competency levels are (such as work or hobbies). But remember this is a BRIEF summary of the patient, so be succinct. Only include pertinent information and in a concise manner.

12) List of doctors, indicating what field (i.e. family doctor, oncologist, etc) with their contact information. Also, list additional medical contacts, such as the pharmacy you normally go to for prescriptions, or doctors that might not be considered primary care (perhaps an allergist, or a dentist).

13) List a couple of people who are emergency contacts. Note the relationship to the patient and be sure to give phone numbers where they can be reached at any hour.

14) Finally, at the bottom of the page, note the date that you last updated this information. If you have not updated it in a while but it is still correct, just change the date (so that people can see the information is recent and still relevant). Every time you update the page, re-read the whole thing to be sure all the information is still correct and has not changed.

15) Note from Donna: I would also add whether there is a Do Not Resuscitate Order on file. Also, if you have a Power of Attorney or Guardianship arrangement for your loved one, this should be noted on the page as well. 

The community of natural caregivers is place of wisdom, experience and generosity. Thank you Kim, for the benefit of your wisdom - I know it will help lots of readers and their loved ones! If you have more ideas of what to include on this document, join the conversation!