Creating a Care Plan

A Care Plan should be a tool that you can use to communicate and coordinate your health care needs.

"We have a care plan that is always with us, and the hospital and clinic are aware of her special health needs and openly give Miriam that much needed extra time and gentleness. All these little changes are making a significant difference not only for Miriam but for our family".           Miriam's Mom

A care plan is a document that should be helpful and useful to you and summarizes:

 1. All of your chronic health conditions

 2. The status of those conditions

 3. Medications

 4. Physicians and other providers you work with

 5. Equipment you use

 6. Important health events

 7. Preferences you have for your care

 8. Typical protocols for treatments

 9. Normal/typical findings, eg. lab work, x-rays

10. What to do in an emergency

This type of health summary can assist you in communicating you/your child's needs to all providers and can be used as a basis for a health plan at school.

Resources to help you develop a care plan: 

1. http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/for_families/

2.  www.syntiro.org/hrtw/tools/check_care.html

3.  www.medicalhomeimprovement.org/pdf/Comprehensive-Care Planning.pdf

Developing an Emergency Care Plan:   http://wimedicalhometoolkit.aap.org/resources/Careplan/  ERformInteractive.doc

http://wimedicalhometoolkit.aap.org/resources/Careplan/ERform.pdf