Emergency room confusion can be alleviated with a flash drive

VIDEO: Emergency room confusion can be quelled by a flash drive

As a hospitalist at St. Francis, Dr. Kimberly Moore cares for patients that she's never met before. She must assimilate information about the patient's history, medication and allergies quickly.

Moore is responsible for caring for other doctors' patients.

"I haven't developed that relationship," she said. "So, I'm a newcomer to them."

Medical data could become life-saving information.

Moore recommends filling out a St. Francis medical data card that includes medication, including dosages, diagnosis and names and numbers of your doctors. That's the simplist form to keep records.

A popular storage device called a USB drive also proves to be handy in emergency situations.

"You can put [medical data] on a disk or a flash drive and put it on your keychain," she said. "This would certainly expedite care and help me deliver proper care."

St. Francis also sees out-of-town patients, especially during the holidays - another reason Moore says carrying your medical information is important.

Medical data to have

St. Francis Health Center encourages all individuals to carry medical information, especially the following records:

List of medications you are taking, including dosages
Your medical history
Immunization records
Allergy information
Name and phone number of your doctor
Lab reports
Copies of recent EKGs and MRIs

Ask 49's Physician Panel

49 News, your source for health information. We've partnered with St. Francis Health Center to bring you local doctors who appear on 49 News at 11 each Thursday. You can participate in the topic by submitting a question to a doctor on 49's Physician Panel. Submit your health question here. (Note: This feature aims to provide general information, not medical care. See a doctor for treatment or diagnoses.) And tune in to 49 News at 11 each Thursday to see whether the doctor answers your question.

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