Organizing With Binders, A Medical Information Notebook

A medical information notebook is a tool for you (and perhaps your family members) to keep track of illnesses, prescriptions, doctors, lab results, medical bills and monitoring logs.

To be sure, not everyone has medical issues to keep track of, but it can still be helpful to keep track of immunizations, pap smears, mammograms, etc.

When seeing a new doctor or specialist, we normally have to fill out a whole new patient information sheet. Honestly, do you have your entire medical life memorized? I can't remember what order I've had which surgeries! LOL

If, God Forbid, you had to take a family member (or yourself) to the hospital at the spur of the moment, could you give all the needed information? When facing a crisis like this, it's easy to forget what medicines are taken, allergies, insurance company, etc.

Why not keep it handy in a binder that you can grab on your way out the door?

I have two separate binders--one for hubby and one for me. We take our binder to the doctor's office, radiologist, lab, specialist, etc. I wish I'd had this notebook done when Sam had to go to the hospital in 2010. It would have saved me from racking my brain to answer questions!

Contents By Section:

Section 1 (still no name yet):
Copy of current insurance card & prescription card,
List of medications taken (dated with last update date),
Page with doctor information (name, specialty, address, phone & fax),
Copy of Summary of Insurance Coverage (I get a new one every year),
Drug and/or food allergies
Blood type

Section 2
Worksheets - 1 each, blood pressure readings, blood sugar readings, weight

Section 3
Medical History (surgeries, illnesses, immunizations, accidents, injuries, etc.)

Section 4
Family Medical History (cancer? diabetes? heart disease? You know the drill)

Section 5
Notes (questions to ask the doctor at next appointment, description of symptoms, etc.)

Section 6
Lab results

Section 7
Chronologically filed correspondence, bills, referrals, etc.

Like I said, I've just started putting ours together, but the great thing about using binders is that it's easy to move things around. It doesn't take long to set up a new binder OR to keep it up to date.

So why not help yourself, your loved ones AND your medical providers and organize your medical information?

A 3 ring binder; I like the kind with the clear vinyl pockets on the front and spine so I can label it and/or add artwork.

*Dividers; You can use regular tabbed dividers or the pocket dividers

*A calendar, if you like. This calendar could be used for illness flares, etc., if you like visual reminders.

*A pencil pouch, to keep some post-it notes, paper clips...and pens, handy.

*Sheet protectors.