Creating a Medical Reference Card

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 digital notes so extensively, why not create a digital note “medical card” for each member of the family? So here is what I did…

NOTE: I use Obsidian as the primary tool for my digital notes, but I also keep a copy of my Medical Card in Apple Notes. The information and layout below should work in almost any note-keeping format you use.

I created a note 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.

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

Depending on the note-taking app that I’m using, I might use Tags or Folders or even Search to make these notes easy to find for future reference.

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.

• 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 the note 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 my diigtal note and know that it’s always up-to-date on every device.

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.