Does the program have other features of special interest to you? Software programs may differ in their capabilities beyond the basic essential features. Here is a sampling of these "extras" you may see in one computer program, but not in another:
| Child development charts and tables to help you assess normal patterns of physical and cognitive growth. | HELP feature that not only explains how to use the program, but how to make sense of the information. |
| Eldercare management: nursing home or home health care records, Medicare payments | Lifestyle records: smoking, use of alcohol, environmental exposures, safety habits and skills. |
| Exercise data: calories required, risks and benefits of specific types of exercise. | Medical Expense and Health Plan payments for each health care event, including check numbers, dates, amounts, health care provider. |
| Family Health History: diseases that run in your family including family members not in your immediate family (grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.) | Nutrition information for children, adolescents, people over 50, people on special diets |
| Food database for computing nutrient, fat, and calorie consumption | Pet health care forms, vaccination records, and care information. |
| Health assessment features such as waist to hip ratio, body fat measures. | Work history: where you have worked, type of work, any chemical or environmental exposures. |
| Health Resources: database of where to get more health information by telephone or Internet. | Your own health observations: a way to record symptoms or results of home health tests or other measurements. |
If any of these features are really important to you, be sure to look for them in the software as you try it on your computer. Don't assume all the software products have the same capabilities.
Why Keeping Family Health Records is a Good Idea
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