No matter what age you are, it’s always important to look after your health. That said, it often becomes more of a priority as you get older. You should especially prioritize keeping track of your health effectively. This can be very helpful in picking up when you need treatment. It can also guide your diagnosis. With that in mind, here are some tips.
Make sure your medical records are where they should be
If you’ve had regular checkups with doctors and other specialists then all your records should be with your current practitioner(s). Even so, it can be worth double-checking just to make sure that they actually are.
If you haven’t, then it’s a good idea to register with a doctor and other specialists now. Firstly, that’s a necessity for you to start attending those appointments. Secondly, they may need time to track down your medical records and get access to them.
If you think you’re registered but haven’t been for an appointment in a while, then make sure that you are still on the roster and that your details are up-to-date.
Research your family medical history
Tracking every aspect of your health is likely to be far too much work for most people. This means that you generally want to focus on the aspects of your health that are most important to you personally. A lot of the time, that’s going to be governed by your family medical history.
Your family medical history can also help speed up any future diagnosis and treatment. For example, if your doctor knows your family has a history of a certain medical condition, they might ask Genesis Diagnostics to check for it first.
For the record, you shouldn’t get too hung up about genetic issues. On the one hand, they do certainly matter. On the other hand, they are definitely not the be-all and end-all of your health. In fact, there’s often a lot you can do to combat the effects of genetics – provided that you know about them.
For example, if you know that your family has a history of diabetes, then you also know that you need to be particularly careful to eat well and keep active.
Develop a strategy for keeping records
The whole point of keeping records is so that you and/or your medical professionals can make informed decisions based on them. This means that your record-keeping has to be relevant, consistent, and accurate. It has to be convenient for you to implement, possibly several times a day. It also has to be convenient for both you and medical professionals to read.
This is a lot to ask but it is doable. Technology can make it easier but only if you feel comfortable with technology. You might also want to keep backups of any data you store electronically. These don’t have to be on paper. You just want to ensure that you have at least one, up-to-date, extra copy.
If you prefer to use paper, then it could be useful to set aside time to transfer your records into digital format. This is often the easiest way to keep them over the long term and can also be the easiest way to access them, particularly if you’re away from home.
