Aging: Manage Your Health After 50 With a PHR!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 | Vera Rulon
As we age, our healthcare needs change. Some things become more pronounced, like the lower back ache I get when I get up in the morning or getting a hot flash when you least expect it. Some of these things are natural. Some are indicators that there might be something more series going on.
I recently came across an article on WebMD that reminded me that we all should be diligent in checking out certain health concerns that may become more pronounced when we age.
These tests are important, from monitoring your thyroid levels (according to the article, thyroid issues can increase as we get older – especially in women), checking blood sugar, and taking your blood pressure on a regular basis. As mentioned in a previous blog, getting a flu shot is important too.
Your physician should know about all your tests and their results. No one remembers everything easily. My theory is that the longer we live the more experiences we have to file away and remember. Naturally, we have trouble remembering all the details. That’s why we need to document our healthcare and the personal health record is a great tool to do so. This way you can collaborate with your health care provider and make the right personal decisions for your health.
Plan to get these tests and follow these guidelines. And, make sure to document results and include these in your personal health record. Your life may depend on it.
Tags
ehr, seniors
Comments
- May 16, 2013
- 1:53 pm
-
john vondra
Security and access are two important things to consider in emergency situations. The EMS personnel need to get as much information as possible, as quickly as possible and get that information to the hospital where they are transporting the patient. Silvestromedia offers this type of PHR on a thin credit card style secure USB with your with pre-loaded medical records and emergency records.
- February 14, 2013
- 1:42 pm
-
yaakov goldberg
The good and bad news with many of the existing medical records systems in existence today is that they use a standardized encoding to help insurance companies track procedures and reimbursable expenses. However, all those codes and technical language makes it hard to really maintain your own information in a way you can easily understand. The free service (and optional Android application) at www.freehealthtrack.com makes it simple to track your medical records in your own language and provide as much or little detail as you like. But it does help your remember all those things a health care provider is looking for.
- November 24, 2012
- 12:09 pm
-
yukihiro fukuda
Personal Health Records: MedlinePlus
Also called: Electronic health records, Patient health record
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/personalhealthrecords.html
- July 29, 2012
- 12:14 am
-
robert thomas
While in nursing school, my Community Health rotation included Care Transition Interventions (CTI) for acute care patients discharged with diagnosis of CHF or COPD. (read more at: http://www.caretransitions.org/) The cornerstone of this process was a patient interview by the nursing student to complete a notebook full of information such as past medical/surgical history, family history, allergies, medication lists, recent hospitalizations (including documents such as patient's discharge forms). Basically we were creating an analog PHR in a loose-leaf binder. The problem was patients never took them to the doctor appointments. It's no good sitting at home on the piano. The electronic PHR could live on a thumb drive, a laptop, or on a re-writeable DVD but it's still no good if patient leaves it at home. The web-based PHR is the answer, but few people trust web sponsors to keep information private. What is the answer?
- May 19, 2012
- 7:58 am
-
vera rulon
Hello All, and thanks to everyone for posting. I also blog on another site; Think Science Now and recently wrote about personal health records. Have a look:
http://www.thinksciencenow.com/blog-post/health-information-is-personal/
- May 13, 2012
- 8:08 am
-
julie slayton
Hi Vera: I would like to introduce to you MIMI - My Instant Medical Information. MIMI is the solution to organizing your medical history and prescription information in one easy to use system. MIMI is not a web based product (I wouldn't want my information on the web) - it is a CD or download for your personal computer in the privacy of your own home. You will never have to second guess yourself regarding your PHR. You will have your PHR at your fingertips in an organized and efficient manner. MIMI is perfect for routine doctor visits or if you have to go to the ER. Handing your medical professional MIMI gives you the confidence that your PHR is up to date and you don't have to guess at routine medical questions. Go to MIMImedical.com and check out the website. For under $35.00 MIMI can simplify your PHR.
- May 05, 2012
- 2:30 pm
-
robert lusk
Record Tree is personal information management software that provides locations to store and manage details of medical and health records. It's a good organizational tool for those building a more detailed PHR or even EHR. Record Tree replaces paper records that get lost, damaged or misplaced. You don't have to remember where things are, Record Tree knows. You can take a look at www.recordtree.com
- April 23, 2012
- 3:15 pm
-
vera rulon
Thank you so much for posting, Jeff. You are right that the important piece here is that our health information is personal. Healthcare consumers should be encourage to maintain their personal health records and there are several tools out there to help them.
- April 19, 2012
- 1:58 pm
-
jeff gruer
Good Medicine starts with a complete PHR. Until there is a comprehensive, widely accepted system individuals need to play a more active role in maintaining their records. They should not rely on insurers, employers, providers or the government to do this for them.
The idea behind the PHR (Personal Health Record) is that the more consumers know about their health, the more control they will take over it and the healthier they will be. PHRs also encourage consumers to collect and share more health-related information with each of their providers. It is estimated that technological innovations such as this in the health care industry could save more than $150 billion a year in medical expenses. For this reason, healthcare providers, employers, insurers, and the federal government are all interested in promoting PHRs.
There are affordable platforms that can help like:
www.myPHIvault.com
Add Your Comments
[Login to post comment.]
Required fields are marked with *