How quickly can a doctor find out about my medical history?

When I get to the emergency room, how can doctors quickly find out about my medical history?

Some answers with our economic columnist Bruno Wattenbergh.

First and foremost via what is called the DMG or Global Medical File. It is a file kept by your attending physician which contains all the medical information concerning you. A file that must be confirmed or extended each year. The emergency doctor who treats you will be able to consult this file and understand more quickly the risks linked, for example, to your history.

What should I do if, in addition to my attending physician, I go to see a specialist?

Just ask him to send the relevant information to your GP to complete your DMG.

How many Belgians have such a comprehensive medical file?

According to Inami statistics, 71% of Belgians had them before the COVID crisis. But the situation strongly depends on the place of residence. More than 80% of Flemish people have it, but only 58% of Brussels residents and around 68% of Walloons.

This is great, but I am storing some medical data on my phone, could I put it somewhere accessible to a paramedic or emergency doctor?

It is quite possible that you have an iPhone or a smartphone running on Android.

Even though my phone is locked?

Yes, even if it’s locked. The emergency services do not need your code to enter the phone and consult this data. Provided of course that you have filled in this medical data and that you have placed them in the right place!

How is it actually done?

On the iPhone, you unlock your phone, go to “Settings”, then “Health”, then “Medical Card” … create your card, enter your data.

And how to access it without the code?

Still on the iPhone, you have two options. Either try to unlock the device and push on emergency, or perform the maneuver to turn it off and also access this emergency command… and then you have the proposal to access the medical file.

On a Samsung running on Android, you must go to contact, type on your profile, then on “Medical information” and complete your form.

And to access it you have to slide the screen to the right and click on the “Emergency call” instruction to also find access to the medical file.

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