Michelle RifferAllergies
June 18, 2019
Summer is here! Time to kick back and relax (said no parent, ever!). Just kidding, throw an extra shot of espresso in that coffee and start prepping for camps, swim team, sports, summer care, sleepovers and all of the other exciting things that your children’s future memories are made of! Whether or not your child’s chosen activity requires you to pack bug spray, goggles or sunscreen, one thing’s for sure – it’s unlikely you’ll be able to avoid completing forms regarding their general health, immunization records, allergies, medications, and more at least once this summer.
As hard as I try, this is an area where I’ve struggled to stay organized. Just when I’d get a handle on it, one of the kids would undoubtedly have an annual physical, requiring me to update immunizations, height, and weight at the very least. Patient portals offer some help, but they don’t serve as a central location when there are multiple sites to access and often lack the ability to input information. At one point I made an adorable binder with wonderful intentions, but aside from forgetting to update it, I quickly realized it lacked the important feature of being accessible anywhere. You can’t always stop home to grab your Pinterest-inspired health binder on the way to the ER.
It’s easy…seriously! ICmed (or a trusted mobile health app) has proven to be a comprehensive solution for our family, giving the ability to update each child’s information, usually on-the-go from my phone, and often while still in the Dr.’s office. I store pertinent documents like Dr. signed authorizations and important lab results. My husband or I can easily email the necessary information to our children’s care provider, access them to share in case of an emergency, or if we simply need to reference for completing camper registration forms. Because I primarily handle the kid’s medical appointments, my husband appreciates having all the information available at his fingertips in the event he needs to provide it in my absence. By adding a little information here and there, I was surprised at how quickly I was able to compile everything in one place, and then easily maintain. Registrations are no longer a task I put off until the absolute last minute.
Just remember, if you’re not quite there yet – don’t worry. A little work now will pay dividends in the future, not just in case of an emergency, but in September when you’ll need all this information again to update school records!