Keeping a Health Record at Home: A One-Page Summary

Why a home record helps

• Emergencies. Paramedics and emergency doctors need medicines, allergies and conditions quickly. A summary on the fridge or in a wallet can change the speed and safety of care.
• Consultations. A doctor who sees a clean list of medicines and readings can focus on the problem rather than on reconstructing the history. See using home readings in a teleconsultation.
• Safety. Many older adults take several medicines from several doctors. A list helps spot duplicates, outdated prescriptions and interactions. See polypharmacy and deprescribing.
• Continuity. When different family members help, the record is the shared memory.
• Confidence. Seeing numbers and notes over time helps the person feel involved in their care.

The one-page summary: what to include

Use a large-print page, typed or neatly handwritten, and update it every few months or after any change.

1. Identity

• Full name, date of birth, address, phone number.
• A recent photo, helpful if the person has dementia and may wander.
• Preferred language and any communication needs, such as hearing or vision loss.

2. Emergency contacts

• Two or three family members with phone numbers, who is the main contact, and who holds a house key.
• The family doctor and specialists, with clinic addresses and phones.
• The preferred hospital.
• Note that in India the emergency number is 112.

3. Conditions

• A short list of diagnoses: for example, type 2 diabetes since a year, high blood pressure, heart failure, COPD, kidney disease, past stroke or heart attack, dementia, thyroid problems, arthritis.
• Major surgeries and hospital stays, with year and hospital.
• Implants or devices: pacemaker, stents, joint replacements, hearing aids.

4. Allergies and reactions

• Medicines, foods or materials that caused a reaction, and what the reaction was. If none are known, write "no known allergies" and the date you checked.

5. Medicines

For each: name (brand and generic if known), strength, dose and time, what it is for, who prescribed it and since when. Include:

• Tablets, capsules, injections such as insulin, inhalers, drops and patches.
• Over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal and Ayurvedic products.
• Medicines to avoid, if a doctor has said so.

Do not alter the list on your own; update it only when a doctor changes a prescription. See medicine side effects families should watch for.

6. Vaccinations

• Dates of influenza, pneumococcal, tetanus and other vaccines as advised by the doctor.

7. Usual health numbers

• Usual blood pressure and pulse, weight, temperature and, if relevant, blood sugar and oxygen saturation when well, with the date.
• Targets set by the doctor.

8. Daily function and preferences

• Mobility aids used, risk of falls, diet restrictions, swallowing problems.
• Dentures, glasses, hearing aids.
• Things that calm or upset the person, particularly with dementia.
• Wishes about care, and who makes decisions if the person cannot, if known. Many families also keep legal documents, such as a power of attorney or a living will, with a trusted person.

The log: day-to-day readings

Alongside the summary, keep a simple log, which can be a notebook or a printed chart for each device:

• Blood pressure and pulse: date, time, readings and notes. See keeping a blood pressure log and what to tell the doctor.
• Blood sugar: date, time, relation to meals, medicines. See how to test blood sugar at home step by step.
• Weight: weekly or daily if advised. See weighing scales and unplanned weight loss and daily weights in heart failure.
• Temperature and oxygen: when unwell.
• Symptoms diary: dizziness, falls, breathlessness, pain, sleep, bowel and bladder changes, appetite and mood, briefly noted with the date.
• Appointments and advice: what the doctor said and any changes.

Keep the log with the devices in a cool, dry box; see a home health monitoring starter kit.

Organising reports and prescriptions

• A folder or file for each category: prescriptions, lab reports, scans, discharge summaries and insurance papers.
• Put the latest on top and date everything.
• Keep originals safe and carry photocopies or phone photos to appointments.
• Make digital copies by photographing documents clearly and storing them in a folder on a phone or cloud drive that a trusted family member can access. Use a strong passcode.
• Keep a list of tests with dates and results of key values such as HbA1c, kidney function, cholesterol and thyroid levels, since trends matter.
• Bring discharge summaries from every hospital stay to future appointments.

Where to keep it

• Home copy: a visible, known place, such as inside the front of the medicine box, on the fridge door with a magnet, or in a labelled folder by the bed. Tell family and helpers where it is.
• Wallet copy: a small card with name, conditions, allergies, key medicines and emergency contacts.
• Phone copy: a photo of the summary on the phone's lock screen or emergency information, if the person uses one, and on a relative's phone.
• For travel: carry a copy and a few days' extra medicines in hand baggage.

Protect privacy: share the record only with those who need it, and avoid posting it in public groups. Be cautious about messaging apps; send only to trusted contacts or the doctor's official number.

Keeping it up to date

• Review every three months and after each doctor's visit, hospital stay or medicine change.
• Cross out old versions. Keep one current page at the front.
• Check expiry dates on medicines as you update.
• Date the page so anyone reading knows how recent it is.
• Share changes with all family members who help.
• Ask the pharmacist to check your medicine list against what they have dispensed.

Special situations

Dementia. The person may not be able to give a history, so the record is even more important. Include a photo, safety needs and calming tips. See dementia and medicines: managing safely.

Living alone or a parent far away. Share a copy with a neighbour or nearby relative and the family doctor. See health devices for a parent far away.

Multiple doctors. Make sure each has the full medicine list and knows about the others.

End-of-life planning. Some families add documents about treatment preferences. Discuss with the doctor; see palliative care at home.

Indian practicalities

• Use plastic sleeves or a waterproof pouch to protect papers from monsoon damp.
• Keep papers away from insects, kitchens and window sills.
• Many prescriptions are handwritten and hard to read; ask the doctor or pharmacist to write the names clearly or give a printed list.
• Keep insurance and ID details in a separate sleeve.
• Note the pharmacy that supplies medicines, with its phone number.

When to ask a professional

Ask the family doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist to review your summary and medicine list, and to correct errors. Ask whether any medicines should be reviewed. Bring the record to every appointment. In an emergency, call 112 and hand over the summary to the paramedics.