By keeping a private, online health diary, you always maintain your comprehensive health history. That's a sensible prescription for healthy living, whether you are dealing with a chronic illness, or want to take preventive measures to maintain your active lifestyle.

Have you ever started filling out a medical form, and then realized that you can't remember when you first became ill? Or when you had surgery? Or the name of the medication you took last year that gave you severe stomach aches?

Have you ever searched in vain for the results of a laboratory exam -- and then had to take the same test over again?

Using the PHDtoGo personal health diary, you'll develop a valuable, permanent, health resource. You'll take an active part in your health care, while also saving yourself time and money.

Improve Treatment
Allowing doctors to view the details of your health history may assist them when making a diagnosis and planning your treatment. This is particularly important when you change your primary physician or go for a second opinion.

Reduce Risks
By becoming aware of your health risks, you can take steps that will lead to healthier habits. If you have a family history of breast cancer, you can start planning preventative measures, such as regular mammograms for early detection. If your father had heart problems, you can decide now to monitor your blood pressure and diet.

Round-the-Clock Access
With an online health diary, you have constant access to your file, regardless of whether you're at home or traveling. You can always update it or add reminders, such as doctors' appointments and prescription renewals. And with the dramatic increase in the use of the Internet by hospitals and physicians, authorized medical personnel will be able to access your password-protected Emergency Page when time is of the essence.

Consolidate Health Records
If you're like most people, your medical records are spread among several doctors. But each physician often only has one piece of your health picture. With a consolidated record, that you manage and update, your physicians will have a more detailed understanding of your health status.

Reduce Medical Errors
Paper records can easily get misplaced in the doctor's office or in the hospital. A simple administrative error could mean that important information relating to your condition was inadvertently put in someone else's file. Or was accidentally thrown out.

This is particularly important considering that medical errors have caused tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. In a recent report, the Academy noted that in hospitals alone, medical errors kill 44,000 to 98,000 people annually.

Find out more about how PHDtoGo can help you take charge of your health.