Your medical record is about nobody but YOU. It is as unique as a thumbprint and resembles no other record anywhere.
The information it contains is important for your: current healthcare provider, your new healthcare provider, a walk-in clinic, a hospital emergency visit, your surgeon, your naturopath, your chiropractor, your school. Most importantly, it's important for you.
Your medical record contains the following information:
- Your medications
- Your vaccinations
- Your blood test results
- Your x-ray reports
- Your ultrasound reports
- Genetic testing results
- Blood pressure historical values
- Your ECG readings
- Your blood type
- Surgical reports
- Summary letters from specialists
- Emergency department visit reports
- Dates of all health incidents
- Names of various specialists you've seen
Your medical record is important especially when you:
- Don't have a doctor or just lost your doctor. It speaks for you.
- Have a new doctor who doesn't want your past record. (Be glad that you'll have it when nobody else does!)
- Have a chronic health condition
- Have children and you're concerned about genetic dispositions
- Need to explain about an incident, prescription, illness, surgery, blood result trends to a healthcare provider
- Want to get a second opinion
- Consider that eventually your original medical record will be shredded.