A health profile is a personal summary that should include, at a minimum, your medical, surgical, emotional, mental, sexual and family health history, medications, allergies, and vaccination records.
Tips & Links
Recording and understanding your personal health information is important as it supports informed decision-making, improves communication with health care providers, and helps track changes in your health over time.
Learn More
- Know that you or a very involved personal health advocate may be the only person who knows your complete health journey.
- Complete your Health Profile with information about your health conditions, medications, allergies and sensitivities, infectious diseases, family health history and surgical history, vaccination records and emergency contacts.
- Learn how to use research-based websites to collect information, that describes and defines your health conditions and treatment options, like Healthlink BC.
- Understand that your personal health profile is something that you can create and maintain, but it is not the same as your official medical health record (MHR) or electronic health record (EHR). These health records are owned by your physician, hospital, or health authority.
- Review ideas for organizing your health information from Healthlink BC.
Things You Can Do
- Ask your physician or specialist for copies of test results and reports (in print or by email).
- Learn how to collect your personal health information from Health-Gateway-BC , a digital program funded by the Government of BC.
- Ask your pharmacist for a print-out of your past and present medications or print off your medication history from Health-Gateway-BC.
- Keep and review the pharmacy handouts you are given.
- Get a copy of the test or imaging results (such as Xray, Ultrasound, CT Scan, or MRI. Record your physician’s or specialist’s explanation of the results.
- Learn about your electronic health record, including its benefits and limitations. Consider asking your physician or nurse practitioner to review the key points of your electronic health record with you to ensure accuracy.
- Ask your physician and other health care professionals for clarification of information you have collected. Get a second opinion if needed.
- Use research-based websites, such as government health portals or medical organizations, to learn more about your health conditions.
Find Support
- Reach out to 811 to ask for general health information, direction on how to monitor your symptoms, or help finding health care in your community, if needed. Navigation services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from Healthlink BC.
- Consider naming a health advocate who can help navigate the health care system and provide guidance.
- Connect with others facing similar conditions to learn from their experiences and coping strategies.
- Explore condition-specific support groups listed by Family-Caregivers of BC.
- Seek out non-profit or condition-specific groups for information and support such as Alzheimer Society of BC,BC Cancer, BC Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis Canada, and many more.
- Consider seeking counselling from private (fee for service) or subsidized programs to help you explore your feelings and emotions. For a list of professionals visit Counselling BC.
Mywell Health helps you learn about and organize your health information in one place. Add all your personal health information into the Health Profile fillable PDF tool. Scan health information and save into print and/or digital files in My Health Information.
Tools & Videos
Categories: My Health Information, Senior
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