Mothers: We are the Health Information Keepers

By: Amanda Krupa, MSc

A survey on women's health from Kaiser Family Foundation validates what moms already know: We are the health information keepers.

Among mothers, 3 in 4 reports that they are the ones who usually take charge of health care responsibilities such as choosing their children’s provider (79%), taking them to appointments (77%), and following through with recommended care (77%).

As a mother of three, and the keeper of all “family health things,” I’ve come to appreciate the little things and big things that help me "keep it together."

1.      Little things like the MyChart app. (Many thanks to my amazing pharmacist for telling me about and then showing me how to use this time-saving gem!) After getting the authorization forms figured out, I’m now able to access not only my own but all of my children’s medical records from my phone. Thumbprint technology for added health data security. Y’all it’s really something to check out.

2.      Big things like messaging my daughter’s doctor through the patient portal with a question about whether her symptoms warrant an appointment, COVID-19 testing, or at-home TLC. With a 4-year-old still waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine, you can never be too sure these days.    

3.      Little things like my Cozi calendar app that tracks doctor appointments, dentist appointments, camp registration deadlines, and a never-ending list of activities. It also syncs with my Outlook calendar, because #workingmomlife. Now, in a perfect world, doctor’s offices would all send me a meeting request that I would accept to automatically populate that Cozi calendar with all the deets, but I digress…

4.      Little things like an easy-to-work and reliable thermometer. A couple of years ago, I learned way more than I ever wanted to about fevers while writing a review on thermometers for Business Insider—feel free to scroll if you can’t fall asleep or need a new one. (For some reason, ours is always MIA when I need it…like last week).    

5.      Big things like the ability to have a telehealth visit with my son’s doctor and avoid having to drive into the city, paying for parking, missing work, and missing school. Before telehealth, visits every six weeks to check how his medications are working and share updates from his other healthcare providers were a major struggle. When you have a child with some extra health needs, these are big things -- including having health insurance that covers them.

This Mother’s Day, I salute you, my fellow “health information keepers.” May you have the wonderful day you deserve and keep being the amazing mom you are!

 ###

About AHIMA Foundation:

AHIMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and philanthropic arm of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) dedicated to empowering people with health information literacy to achieve better health outcomes. Established in 1962, AHIMA Foundation programs, research, and projects continue to evolve ─ helping families make informed health decisions, guiding evidence-based healthcare system policies and practices, and educating and training aspiring and current health information professionals. Recognizing that health information is human information, AHIMA Foundation works extensively to convene interdisciplinary stakeholders to identify unmet public health and education needs.    

About Us │Issues │ Research │ Events │ News & Stories │ Get Involved