Medical Passports

Medical passports can serve as great tools to keep with you when traveling, going to medical appointments, going to the hospital, or even when going to the grocery store! You can personalize them, make multiple copies, and give copies to those in your life who you trust most. The hope is that having these is not necessary, but the proactive planning can be comforting and helpful for your medical team.

We are going to review what a medical passport is, what can be included in a medical passport, why it may be important or helpful for you, and have provided a template you can refer to and personalize as well.

Applicable Questions and Answers Listed Below:

What is a Medical Passport?

A medical passport is a folder, binder, or set of documents you can keep with you that contain important information about your health.

What can be included in a Medical Passport?

You can include information you feel would be helpful for your medical team to know! A helpful question to ask yourself may be, “What would you want others to know about the treatment you need and your health conditions if you weren’t there to advocate for yourself?” Examples include letters from specialists you trust explaining your conditions, pertinent allergy information, a list of medications, a list of diagnoses, a list of past surgeries, and any other tips specific to your care that you would want medical providers or others to know.

What should not be included in a Medical Passport?

Although it is up to you, putting personal details such as your home address, phone number, or other identifying information is not something that is advisable. Since this is something you will have with you, we also want to make sure it doesn’t cause you harm if a stranger came across it.

Why is having a Medical Passport helpful?

Having a medical passport can be very helpful for a few reasons. First, it can help you feel more comfortable knowing you have documentation from providers you trust with you at all times. This is important because many providers do not fully understand our medical conditions like POTS, EDS, ME/CFS, and MCAS, just to name a few. See Medical Terms to learn more about these acronyms. A letter from a provider you trust may provide you with added comfort and also help inform providers taking care of you. Second, having this available can help when you are struggling with brain fog and may accidentally forget to mention one of your allergies or a few of the medications you are taking. This is information that is crucial for providers to have access to, so they can ensure you are receiving safe medical care. Third, having a medical passport may help reduce the risk of medical gaslighting in unfamiliar medical settings. Although this can never be guaranteed, having information written down about your medical conditions, especially letters from specialists, may be beneficial for you. Click the button below to access our Medical Passport template! The first few pages have some pre-written sections, but the last page is blank to include anything else that you deem important. Please note that Awareness for POTSies will not be held liable for indirect, direct, or other damages that stem from using this template. It is to be used merely as a guide.

Click Here To Access Our Printable Medical Passport Template

Medical Passports

Awareness for POTSies

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Devault, PA 19432

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Awareness for POTSies was founded in 2021. This website was developed with love and a great deal of time and commitment to our community. When sharing any content we developed, we ask that you cite our organization appropriately, as a great deal of work made this possible!