Even in the best of times, people have a difficult time keeping medical records and keeping track of them. But a big disaster like Hurricane Katrina reminds us all of the importance of doing just that – especially when you have or have had a serious medical problem. It’s important that you be able to give any new doctors the exact details of your diagnosis and treatment.

For cancer survivors, you should always have:

• A copy of the pathology report from a biopsy or surgery if there was surgery
• If you had a surgery, a copy of the operative report
• If there were hospitalizations, a copy of the discharge summaries that every doctor must prepare when patients are discharged from the hospital
• If there was drug treatment for the cancer, a list of the final doses of each drug you received
• If there was radiation, a final summary of the dose and field
• Finally, certain chemotherapy drugs have specific long-term side effects and if you can get a list of these from your oncologist, this would help any new primary care physician

Where to keep this information

In a file: This is the most obvious, of course, but a file of papers is easily lost or destroyed. Some people will keep their medical files in a safe deposit box at the bank. This is safer than at home, but in a big disaster, something could happen to the bank. Others keep their records in a water-tight container in their refrigerator. This, too, is safer than in a file in a drawer, but under some circumstances, something could happen to the refrigerator.

In a computer: These days, this is a common place to store records. It makes them easy to update and affords easy access. It is probably safer than a file in a drawer, but something could always happen to the computer, too.

Online: There are now Web sites for storing medical records. One such site is ihealthrecord.org run by a company called Medem and funded in part by the American Medical Association. On this site, a person may complete his or her entire medical record. The individual “owns” the record and can provide a keyword to the doctor or other health care professional that will permit that provider to access the record online through the same Web site for a specific period of time. While this may be the safest of these three storage options, many people are still concerned about the privacy of their information.

Off-site: Some people are keeping their medical records at home and also sending a “back-up” copy to a friend or relative living in another state. This is an excellent idea, but it does make it harder to update them.

In more than one place: More and more, people are keeping their records in more than one place – for example, in the computer, in a safe deposit box, and with friends or relatives living elsewhere. This is probably the best way to cover all of your bases, especially if you are concerned about the privacy of your information if placed online.

No matter which of these storage options you use, it’s good advice to keep track of your basic health history so you have the information when you and those caring for you need it most.