3 Reasons Why You Should Keep Your Medical Records

Whether or not you are a chronic or rare disease sufferer, having your medical records securely at hand could save your life. You should always ask for a copy and securely store a copy of your medical records.‍

Knowledge empowers you to get the best possible care‍

About 80% of the information a healthcare professional needs to accurately diagnose and choose the best treatment plan is found in your medical records (Savard, 2019).

Without this information, healthcare professionals would be working with one hand tied behind their backs. Imagine the difficulty of making a diagnosis—let alone recommending the right treatment, if information is unavailable, incorrect, or incomplete.

We often take for granted that our healthcare professionals have all the information they need to provide us with the best possible care. However, this is not always the case. In fact, many of us are not even aware of the dangers of not knowing our health information.

Medical records are critical to our health care, yet we often do not have access to them. This can be a problem if we move or change doctors. It can also be a problem if our doctor retires.

In addition, our health information is often spread across various medical providers, making it difficult to get a complete picture of our health. This is especially true if we see multiple specialists. Even our primary care physicians may not have all the information they need or the ability to share it.

The solution is to take charge of your health information and keep copies of your medical records. This way, you will always have them available when you need them. You can also use this information to proactively engage with your doctor and make sure you are getting the best possible care. Taking charge of your health information is one of the most important things you can do for your health.

Keeping all records at hand will save time and money

If you do not have your medical records handy, the doctor may prescribe tests that have already been done, which may not need to be repeated and can delay your treatment. The unnecessary duplication of tests not only wastes time, but also money. Not to mention the physical implications and the commute to get to the Doctor’s office.

By creating a more effective way to communicate helps reduce unnecessary medical testing. This means improving communication with the use of a secure, and reliable electronic health information exchange system.

Keeping all records at hand with Jonda can give you the freedom to focus on your health, and not your records.

Only you can keep all your medical information in a single place and make it easily accessible in real time

More often than not, most people think that it is their doctor's job to keep all their health information and know everything about them. In the past, most healthcare providers were reluctant to share patients' information with them or share copies of records, despite the fact that patients have an ethical and legal right to their information.

Thanks to electronic medical records, bigger healthcare systems are sharing some of this information with each other and in some cases these records may be available to you through different initiatives. Once again, this is still only part of your information as not every healthcare provider is connected to one another within a country or around the world.

Only you can ensure the collection and storage of all your health information across providers and across geographies and see that your information is correct and up to date.

You should also review your health information in detail. It is not uncommon for patients to discover incorrect information about medications and allergies when reading their records.

Key takeaways on why you must take control of your health records

In today's medical landscape, it's more important than ever to be an active participant in your healthcare. With the sheer amount of information that doctors have to process on a daily basis, it's all too easy for something to fall through the cracks. That is why it is crucial that you keep track of your own medical records.

Make sure you know what medications you're taking, what allergies you have, and what pre-existing conditions you may have. In the event of an emergency, this information could be vital in ensuring that you receive the care you need.

Additionally, by keeping track of your records, you can catch errors or discrepancies that might otherwise go unnoticed.

As daunting as this task may sound like, managing your health information, doesn’t have to be. You can download Jonda which allows you to easily and securely scan or upload any of your medical documents using automated and intelligent systems. Plus, you can easily share this data securely from the app with your different care providers to improve care coordination.

So, whether you are dealing with a simple cold or a complex chronic condition, always remember to stay in control of your own medical records. It could save your life!

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Reference:

1. Savard M MD. 5 reasons why keeping your medical records could save your life. Healthy Women. https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/5-reasons-why-keeping-your-medical-records-could-save-your-life. Published October 12, 2019. Accessed December 5, 2023.