5 Things You Should Know About Your Medical History

If you’ve been to the doctor recently you know that one of the things that is required of you as the patient is to fill out information about your family’s medical history.  This can be challenging for some who may not have even thought about needing this type of information in the event of an illness or injury.  However, being prepared with a full and complete medical history can in fact aid your medical providers and help you avoid falling victim to Connecticut medical malpractice.

The more information you can provide to your medical provider about your medical history and that of your family’s medical history, the better your care will be.  While these are not required to have, they are good to know and share with your provider.  Some of the things you may want to share are as follows;

1. Current health issues, including any illness that have you taking medication
2. Any allergies that you suffer from including being allergic to medications that you might have administered to you.
3. Current risk factors; smoking, drinking, drug use, etc.
4. Family history of illness or injury you are being seen for, for example, if you are in the hospital for chest pains you should share your family history with heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.
5. Any medical issues that run in your family.  For example, if you have an uncle who suffered from high blood pressure, this is important for your medical provider to know.

In many cases your medical provider may prompt you for this information and that will help guide you through making sure they have all of the relevant information they need.  However, if you do not prepare now for knowing this information, you may leave your provider with an incomplete picture of your health.  When a provider is making decisions about your health with incomplete information you may not be getting the best care.

If you or a loved one have been injured and believe it to be the result of medical malpractice, contact our office and our doctor/attorney and nurse/attorney will review your case immediately to help protect your long term interests.