To ask, PLEASE, if you take any medication

[drinthehouse]

always have an up to date list of your medication on your phone (because I’ve yet to see a patient who doesn’t have a phone with them).
I work in A&E. I can’t guess what medication you take if you tell me it’s oblong and orange and begins with a b. There are thousands of medications out there. I may not have access to your previous hospital notes, and your GP will only email me your medication list....most likely in 2 days time.
If every patient could manage to bring a list of their medication including doses (just take a photo of your repeat prescription), that alone would save the NHS thousands of pounds a year in time spent by doctors trying to find out what the purple round pill beginning with r is.
Please tell your friends. Take a picture of your granny’s meds on her phone, have a copy on your phone, put this on fb. And update it when your meds change. Please. Thank you (it’s been a long day).

I’ve put on my iphone medical ID page the meds I take and the ones I’m allergic too. I also put my dog is home alone in case I’m ever in an accident and no one knows she’s there.

Can anyone tell me how to set the medical info up on a galaxy S9 please? I was told at a first aid course but have completely forgotten!

Hi i work in the NHS.

Medications along with allergies etc are recorded at your GP practice and this small data set is available nationally through something called the Summary Care Record. This is available to healthcare professionals at A&E, pharmacies etc. All strictly access controlled.

It worries me, though unfortunately doesn't surprise me, that even other health professionals aren't aware of this, much less patients, and it's a huge failure of the NHS as a whole. In my area we have done patient and health professional campaigns to try and make it clear what information is shared and why and enable people to make decisions about whether it is something that they do not want (there are people who will not want to share any data regardless of its life saving potential). We still have a way to go and have been pushing for a national campaign.

Not getting at the OP btw at all, any conversation about it is a good one, hopefully the above helps clarify a little.

@drinthehouse meant to add...speak to your IT team about how you can access SCR (might be through your clinical system, might be through something like a clinical record viewer) - it's an NHS mandate this should be in place, so should be something you can access easily and safely.

I keep an up to date list at all times on my email account as needed I have downloaded it on phone while in A&E although 99% of any A&E visits I go from home rather than being out and about so that gives me or someone a chance to grab the folder I keep in the door of the fridge.

Its a plastic file folder, the front part of the file contains a complete list of medications with the date list was last updated, list of meds to avoid with the reasons why, list of conditions, list of consultants and contact numbers, next of kin details, GP details and my health and care number.

Secondary to that it includes an index with a list of what is inside the second part - advance directive, care package details with request to contact SW as if admitted need care package temp postponed, who to contact in the event I can't speak properly to inform them where I am and that cat needs care, I wear a medic alert bracelet with my main conditions on the links, it also has a general summary of my BP history as otherwise, it panics Drs and a WRAP plan summary

It also includes a copy of main letters from different consultants with management plans for different conditions in the event of being in A&E and a note of what has helped in the past and what hasn’t.

A summary of fractures and various injuries over a lifetime so that makes it easier to see why X is slightly out of place but isn’t new or that this is a previously damaged site and what injury has happened before.

It has always been welcomed as makes things a lot easier for all concerned,

There is a note above the door lock on my front door on the inside which is to attract attention to paramedics and guide them to where the info is or remind them to get it if I can't for some reason.

Im in Northern Ireland and have always been impressed/surprised when hospital staff are able to access my ECR (electronic care record) as it has been on screen at some appointments and is also available to the Out of Hours GP in my area but I bring the folder with me anyhow.

Only last week I had an appointment in a Belfast hospital and the consultant had accessed my ECR to check meds at a certain date,

For those of you saying why don't hospitals / A&E / paramedics have access to your medical information .... I accompanied DH to the GP this week, he hasn't been to this GP since we registered over four years ago (he's generally healthy). It turns out that they've never been passed his (written) notes from the previous practice, only 2 miles away, and therefore had none of his history. So the system is broken even within just one part of the health service, even before you start to think about cross-service sharing.

drin because I’ve yet to see a patient who doesn’t have a phone with them). Let's hope you never meet me then, as I don't possess a smartphone, and the phone I do have just does texts and calls.

@EggysMom and even when you sign paperwork to get old records when moved to new practice it doesnt always mean that will actually happen.

I discovered about 6 years ago that there are no records held for me prior to 1994, I do remember with the practice I moved to at the time filling in a form that would allow them to get my old notes which were in the Republic of Ireland to transfer to NI.

I always assumed it happened but the GP I am with now showed me my file nope nothing pre-1994. They were never transferred.

I couldn't even seek them at that point as they would only have been held for 8 years after I left the practice and that was over 20 years later.

1. I know all my medications (8 different ones) off by heart- name, dose etc

2. I use the iPhone emergnecy app, all this along win my diagnosis is in there

3. dp knows my code to the phone and his thumb also is registered

4. my children know my code

5. my ex (who I see daily knows my code)

HOWEVER my father! Is on about 11 medications and couldn’t tell you a single one. The last hospital admission after he collapsed, I’d grabbed a repeat prescription off the table before going to hospital in the ambulance. Even now, he’ll say ‘Snowy I forgot to tell you they changed my X medication three weeks ago’, or ‘Snowy they added two new tablets last month, but I can’t remember what’. 🤦‍♀️

So yes, so much easier to have an update list that can be accessed immediately!

As I have a condition which could land me in A&E I have a copy of medication on my phone and in my bag. If I’m staying with someone I give them the code to unlock my phone.

Good idea OP, thank you.
I will do this.

Amen sis

@babooshkamybush I was going to ask OP why they didn't just look on the summary care record too!
I work in pharmacy and we always get a and e asking about patients medication, but I'm not actually allowed to tell them which seems ridiculous, but it's the rules. If me not telling them is gunna be dangerous I usually will but I don't understand why they can't look on the summary care record?

@nameusernameuser

Unfortunately I think there is a lack of knowledge particularly in secondary care...it's something which desperately needs to be tackled because it's fundamental to safe patient care - particularly for those who are at a higher risk of admission and unable to advocate for themselves (the very elderly for example).

Every A&E can access the information (and I believe, ambulance control centres). Not all do because not all clinicians are aware.

That said, people being more involved in their own care and ensuring that they have up to date information available where possible is no bad thing, it just doesn't account for those unable to.

To all those reading this, the best way to make sure you always have up to date information is to ask your GP Practice to sign up to patient online, and / or the new nhs app (being rolled out by July). Patient online is just an app version of the clinical system your doctor uses and will give you access to your medication list, allow repeat prescriptions and to book appointments (if your practice enables this - mine doesn't at the moment). Then you will always have the most up to date info on your smartphone.

The more people talk about this the better...sharing appropriate information with health care professionals involved in your care can improve the care you receive and in some cases save lives (especially for those who have allergies to medication - this is on your summary care record). So if you are asked whether you want to share your record (for direct patient care only) please do so...it could help save your life.

Sorry...rambling...but it's such an important topic and one no one ever wants to talk about!

@babooshkamybush I've said to an A and E nurse over the phone before can't you just access the summary care record, and she sounded a little disgruntled. I think perhaps because if you access it you then have to fill in the paperwork to explain why you've looked at it, but it's definitely necessary if you're trying to care for a patient. I wish there was a simpler way of sharing this information, especially with new GDPR laws, we all need to be able to access the information.

@drinthehouse

always have an up to date list of your medication on your phone (because I’ve yet to see a patient who doesn’t have a phone with them). I work in A&E. I can’t guess what medication you take if you tell me it’s oblong and orange and begins with a b. There are thousands of medications out there. I may not have access to your previous hospital notes, and your GP will only email me your medication list....most likely in 2 days time. If every patient could manage to bring a list of their medication including doses (just take a photo of your repeat prescription), that alone would save the NHS thousands of pounds a year in time spent by doctors trying to find out what the purple round pill beginning with r is. Please tell your friends. Take a picture of your granny’s meds on her phone, have a copy on your phone, put this on fb. And update it when your meds change. Please. Thank you (it’s been a long day).

Apologies, I forgot to quote you, it is regarding the message above.

I totally agree with you 100% but And if you use you fingerprint to unlock your phone being unconscious won’t be a problem this made me laugh. It would be quicker to wait 2 days for my GP to get in touch than try to persuade my iPhone to recognise my fingerprint.

You can get apps for Android phones that work like the medical ID on iPhones. It would be good if all phones automatically had it and it was included as part of the initial phone set up so people are opting out if they don't want to use it rather than opting in by having to find it and set it up for themselves.

Despite this being a 2year old ZOMBIE THREAD

You can get apps for Android phones that work like the medical ID on iPhones. It would be good if all phones automatically had it and it was included as part of the initial phone set up so people are opting out if they don't want to use it rather than opting in

I have had Android phones for years and they have a "Medical ID" section too, though it doesnt tell you about it during set up, you have to opt in so maybe highlighting it would ensure people filled it out. Idk if that is the same as for Apple devices as I have never owned one.

My phone is set up so that if it is locked, there's an "Emergency call" option which opens to show a speed dial for my two emergency contacts and my medical information.

One thing that wa all the rage. While ago was those ICE (? ) uwb keyring with all your medical data etc in multiple languages for any eventuality.

They started to die off when Dr's pointed out no one is sticking an unknown usb into a hospital pc

Patient summary records are not UK wide for those mentioning them.

Wow! I have an old iPhone 6. Clicked the side button five times and my emergency info came up with all my meds, d.o.b, emergency contact..... without the need to unlock.!

What’s even spookier though is I don’t ever remember filling it out !