How to Manage Medical Information With Google Health
With managed care on the rise and participating physicians and clinics not always part of the same health care network, it's sometimes hard to keep track of all your medical information. Since it's not practical to carry a file folder or thumb drive with you at all times, finding a portable way to manage your medical information is becoming more and more of a necessity. Google Health makes it easy to gather and organize your medical information in one, easily accessible place.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Manage Your Basic Profile
-
1
Sign on to your existing Google account or create one. Once you've reached the home page, click on the "More" link at the top of the page. Scroll down and click on "Even more." Select Google Health on the page that appears.
-
2
Expand the "Profile Details" link by clicking on the "+". Begin entering your demographic information in order to manage your profile. Start by entering your birth date, gender, race, blood type, height and weight. If you don't know all the information, don't worry about it. You can always add to the profile as you learn the information.
-
-
3
Click on Conditions -> Add Conditions to get a list of diseases and symptoms. They are in alphabetical order, so you can easily navigate to conditions that you have documented in your medical history. Add all conditions and symptoms you have had, even if they are not current. You can then click on Conditions -> Add Record to add information like when you were diagnoses, whether its a current diagnosis and any other notes you want to add.
-
4
Go to Medications -> Add Medications to manage a list of your current and former meds. You can either type in the medication name, at which point the Google Health search box will present a drop down list of possibilities, or choose from the extensive alphabetized list of medications. Click on Medications -> Add Record to add specific information about your dosage and other important information.
-
5
Complete your basic profile by adding information about allergies, procedures you've had done, immunization records and test results of which you have hard copies.
Manage Medical Records
-
6
Click "Import Medical Records" to get a list of health care networks that participate in Google Health's medical management services. You may choose your provider or network from the list and click on it to link relevant information to your profile. Not all networks participate, so you may have to enter a lot of information manually. Click on "Explore Health Services" to see a more comprehensive list of services to which you can link your profile.
-
7
Choose "Medical Contacts" to enter contact information for your health care providers. Selecting "Create a Contact" gives you page that allows you to provide name, phone number, address, email address and relevant notes. You can also find a specific provider by selecting "Find a Doctor." It will allow you to search by specialty, name and location.
-
8
Continue to add information and records as you receive hard copies by clicking on "Add to this Profile." The more information you have in your profile, the better. Since Google Health is web-based you'll be able to access it from wherever you are, making the possibility of medical errors much less likely.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Consider setting up a Google Health account for all members of your family to make managing everybody's medical information easier.
If you're unsure as to what a condition or symptom is, click on the "Reference" link next to it. This will bring up a page with a brief description of the condition.
Google Health cannot guarantee the security of site to which you link your profile, so if you're concerned about security, be very careful about linking your account and the information you provide.
