Hopkins: Carrying Your Medical History August 18, 1999 BALTIMORE (Johns Hopkins) - If you're ever rushed to the emergency room, unconscious or unable to speak clearly, what would you like the medical team to know about you? Doctors and nurses need certain information. Helping them get it can mean faster and more accurate medical decisions. On a card or piece of paper in your wallet, here's what the pros would like to know: name and date of birth; name and phone of primary physician if you have one; previous hospitalizations and surgeries; any medications you take; and family medical history, especially things like cancer, diabetes and heart trouble. It may seem like a lot, but it's worth it. "As much information as a patient can give us about their medical history, the better it is for them. Because it's all pieces of a puzzle [that] help us determine what's going on at the time and how we can treat them and make them feel better," says Jean Marie Lucas, clinical nurse specialist for the Johns Hopkins Emergency Department. Lucas says some people are hesitant to share their habits and histories on paper. But she reminds patients that hospitals are there to help, not judge. Copyright 1999 The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved. Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada [log in to unmask] ^^^^ \ / \ | / Today’s Research \\ | // ...Tomorrow’s Cure \ | / \|/ `````