The one-page health summary every family needs

6 lines on one page can save 20 minutes at a hospital admission desk.

If your parent were admitted tonight, the doctor would ask questions you'd have to answer from memory, at 2 am, while frightened. Answer them now instead.

Make a one-page health summary with:

1. Conditions, and roughly when each was diagnosed
2. Current medicines with doses and times
3. Allergies, especially to medicines
4. Blood group
5. Regular doctors and hospitals, with phone numbers
6. Insurance policy number and the helpline

Keep a printed copy at home, in a plastic sleeve near the door. Put a photo of it on every sibling's phone, and on the phone of whoever lives nearest.

Update it every time a medicine changes. Put a date at the top so everyone knows it's current.

It takes about 40 minutes the first time. After that, it's a 2-minute edit.