Keep a separate record for each person: their reports, dates, labs, ranges, medicines, and allergies. A single shared folder mixes people and makes a value ambiguous. Access should be granted per person, deliberately, and removed when it is no longer needed.
The shared folder works until it does not. The first time two people have a test in the same week, or a result is uploaded under the wrong name, the folder stops answering the question it was created for.
Why one folder breaks
- A value in the folder with no name on it cannot be attributed.
- A report uploaded to the wrong person becomes part of the wrong history.
- Everyone who can open the folder can see every person reports.
- Search returns a mix of people, and a trend becomes hard to follow.
- When access should be removed, it cannot be removed for one person only.
What to keep per person
At minimum: name and date of birth, conditions, current medicines, allergies, lab reports with dates and ranges, doctors, and insurance. Children add vaccination and growth records. Adults may add advance care documents if they have them.
Children's records
A child's record changes with age. Keep vaccination and growth records, and keep the reports that explain a diagnosis or a treatment. As the child becomes an adult, the record should be handed over, and consent for sharing should be renewed with them rather than assumed.
How access should work
Grant access per person, not per household. Decide who needs to see the record, what they need to do with it, and when the access should end. A helper who uploads reports does not necessarily need to see every result. Remove access when the task ends.
| Person | What they need | Access to give |
|---|---|---|
| You | Your own history and the records you own | Owner |
| Partner | Their own record, and shared children if agreed | Their own profile, plus the children profiles you choose |
| Child | Their own record as they grow up | Hand over when they are old enough |
| Parent | Their own record, managed with consent | Their profile, shared with named helpers |
| Sibling | The parent's record, if the parent agrees | View or edit, per the parent's decision |
| Clinician | The facts for this visit | A printed one-page summary, not account access |
Naming and structure
Use one folder per person, and a file name that carries the date, lab, and panel, for example 2026-03-14_lald_pathlabs_lipid.pdf. Keep the original file, not only a screenshot. The same rule works in a paper folder, a cloud drive, or an app.
What Doctano does
Doctano keeps a separate timeline per profile. You can create a profile for each family member and share it with an existing Doctano account by email, with view or edit access. The owner can remove access, and removing a profile removes its timeline, including for people it was shared with.