Clancy, why should patients keep personal health records?
Dr. Clancy: First, keeping track of your medical information makes you an active partner in your health care and allows you to ask good questions about your care. Second, giving doctors accurate information helps them provide better care. The medicines you take, your allergies, and your medical history all make you medically unique and can affect your treatment. Rand: What information should you include in a personal health record? Dr. Clancy: You should keep track of anything that may affect how a doctor might treat you. For starters, you should include illnesses you or your family members have had. You’ll want to list all the medicines you take, as well as how much and how often you take them. Be sure to provide information on allergies, immunizations and test results, and include the name and phone number of your doctor and insurance company. You might also want to note if you have a living will. Rand: Is keeping track of all this medical information difficult? Dr. Clancy: Not at al
