Creating a Medical Card in Evernote

My family and I routinely find ourselves in medical facilities, such as a doctor’s office, and inevitably, they ask us for the same information, which we have often struggled to remember. What is my son’s SSN? When did we have that procedure done? How do you spell that prescription’s name?

Then I had an epiphany: Since I use Evernote so extensively, why not create a “medical card” for each member of the family in Evernote? So here is what I did…

I created a note in Evernote called My Medical Card. (I know — catchy, right?) And then I added the following information…

My Medical Card

My Name

• My date of birth
• My address
• My cell phone number
• My email address

Emergency Contact(s)

• The contact’s name
• Their relationship to me
• Their cell phone number

Family Doctor

• The doctor’s name
• The doctor’s address
• The doctor’s phone number
• The doctor’s fax number

Preferred Pharmacy

• The pharmacy’s name
• The pharmacy’s address
• The pharmacy’s phone number
• The pharmacy’s fax number

Current Prescriptions

I list any prescriptions I currently take:

• The prescription name
• The dosage
• How often I take the prescription
• The prescribing physician

OTC Drugs

I list any over-the-counter (OTC) drugs that I may take on a regular basis (such as an antihistamine or pain reliever)

Allergies

I list anything that I’m allergic to, and the reaction that I have to it

Medical Conditions

I list any medical conditions that I have, the date that they were started or diagnosed, and who diagnosed it or is treating me for the condition

Other Current Doctors

I list here the information for any other doctors I may be currently seeing, such as a specialist, so that care can be coordinated

Surgeries

I list any surgical procedures that I’ve had done:

• The name of the procedure
• The date it was performed
• The name(s) of the doctor(s) who performed the surgery

Previous Doctors

I list any doctors I have previously seen, whether it was my childhood pediatrician, or a doctor who performed a surgery, etc. You never know when you’ll need to recall this information.

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I’ve created one of these Medical Cards for myself, and then a separate one for each member of my family, with their information.

Then I mark each note as a Favorite in Evernote so that they are easily accessible in my list of Shortcuts. Or, of course, I can always use the powerful Search feature within Evernote.

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What are the benefits of doing this?

• The information is easy to access. Unlike before, when we had to try to remember all of this information, and names, and dates, now I have this information written out for me, and it’s always available because I always have my iPhone or my iPad with me, especially when going to a medical appointment. If, for some reason, I didn’t have the information with me on a mobile device, I could always ask to log in to the Evernote website on a computer at the doctor’s office, and have the information available to me that way.

• The information is easy to share.
  • I can print off a copy of the Medical Card using my home printer.
  • I can copy the information from Evernote on my mobile device, paste it into an email, and email it to the proper recipient.
  • If all else fails, I can hand my mobile device to the doctor or office staff for their reference.

• The information is easy to update. If we add a new prescription, or stop taking one, or whatever information changes, it’s simple to update the information in Evernote and know that it’s always up-to-date on every device.

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This method has saved us a lot of time, hassle, and missed information due to faulty memory, because now we always have the correct information available to us.

Posted on 2016-01-16   #Evernote     #Health     #Medical     #Organization     #Productivity