Clinical conversation for preparing and framing questions.

Doctor Visits

Explain your HS in 30 seconds, even to someone who has never met you

Build a private card with your HS diagnosis status, usual pattern and current treatment for an unplanned urgent-care or emergency visit — no account required.

Why prepare a card in advance

If you unexpectedly need care from someone who does not know your hidradenitis suppurativa, explaining your history while you are in pain can be difficult — and an HS lesion can look enough like an infection that a clinician who has never seen your usual pattern has genuinely more to work out.

This card keeps a few important facts in one place: your diagnosis status, where HS usually affects you, your current treatment, relevant past procedures and a usual contact. It does not tell a clinician what diagnosis or treatment you need — the clinician should assess today's problem independently.

Create my card Read how this works first

No account required. Keep the card on this device, or print it — the QR code never carries your answers.

My HS Care Card

Why this card exists

A multinational survey of HS patients found that 18.3% had visited an emergency department five or more times for HS symptoms, and 37.0% rated access to dermatology as difficult. A US cohort study of 20,269 patients found frequent return emergency-department visits alongside comparatively low dermatology follow-up.

An acute flare is a poor moment to explain your history to someone who has never seen you before. This card keeps the essential facts in one place, so you do not have to do that while in pain.

This card does not diagnose and does not instruct treatment

HS lesions can resemble infection, and emergency-medicine literature repeatedly describes that distinction as a genuine clinical challenge. This card does not make that distinction. It does not say today's presentation is definitely an HS flare, and it does not say infection is excluded.

That is why the card never says "do not drain", "avoid antibiotics" or "avoid opioids". It informs; it does not decide treatment. That stays the job of the clinician in front of you.

The card never overstates your own diagnosis

If you have not yet been clinician-diagnosed, the card never says "I have HS". It states instead that you are being evaluated for possible HS. Only selecting "Yes, diagnosed by a healthcare professional" produces the confirmed-diagnosis wording.

A section for the treating clinician

Every finished card carries a short, fixed section for clinicians, with a link and QR code to a dedicated, evidence-based information page. The QR code encodes only that fixed address — never anything you entered into the card.

Clinician information about HS

Not a substitute for your flare plan or emergency guidance

This card is a communication tool for the moment you meet someone who does not know you. It replaces neither your own HS flare plan nor this site's general guidance on when to seek medical help — both still apply.

My HS Flare PlanWhen Should I Seek Medical Help?

Ready to build your card?

It takes a few minutes, every field is optional, and you can update it again later.

Create my HS Care Card

Frequently asked questions

Does the card tell an emergency room that today's problem is definitely an HS flare?

No. The card only presents what you say about your own HS and your usual pattern. It does not address whether an infection is present, and the treating clinician is asked to assess today's presentation independently.

I have not been officially diagnosed yet — can I still use the card?

Yes. Choose "I am currently being evaluated" or "No / not sure". The card then states that possible HS is being evaluated, rather than asserting a diagnosis.

Where are my answers stored?

Only in your own browser on this device, and only once you explicitly choose "Save on this device". Nothing is sent to a server of this website, and there is no shareable link.

Does the QR code on the card contain my health information?

No. The QR code encodes only the fixed address of the clinician-information page. Even someone scanning a lost, printed card would not learn any of your answers from it.

Does the card replace the general guidance on when I need medical help?

No. This card only helps once you are already being seen. Whether and how urgently you need help is still governed by this site's general guidance and the official emergency numbers.

Can I print the card or save it as a PDF?

Yes. Both are generated directly in your browser, remain readable in grayscale, and need no upload.

Evidence & review

Last reviewed: · Next review due:

Emergency-medicine literature repeatedly identifies distinguishing an HS flare from infection as a genuine clinical challenge, and describes frequent HS-related emergency-department use alongside comparatively low dermatology follow-up.

The card itself contains no medical claim to review beyond a reader's own selections and free text — the claims live in the clinician-facing information page it links to, sourced separately below.

Read our editorial policy

My HS Home See this card alongside every other tool you've saved, in one dashboard — no account needed. When Should I Seek Medical Help? The site's one page for routine review, prompt assessment and emergency care — this card links to it rather than duplicating it. My HS Flare Plan What to do during a difficult flare, agreed in advance with your own treatment team. My HS Care Team Where different specialties fit into ongoing HS care. Find an HS Specialist A directory for finding dermatology follow-up after an acute visit.

Sources

  1. Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Diagnosis and Management in the Emergency Department Journal of Emergency Medicine (PubMed) · Checked: 2026-08-29
  2. Differentiating hidradenitis suppurativa flare from infection in the emergency department American Journal of Emergency Medicine (PubMed) · Checked: 2026-08-29
  3. Diagnosis and management of hidradenitis suppurativa: a review for the emergency clinician Emergency Medicine Journal (PubMed) · Checked: 2026-08-29
  4. Factors Associated With Dermatologic Follow-up vs Emergency Department Return in Patients With Hidradenitis Suppurativa JAMA Dermatology (PubMed) · Checked: 2026-08-29
  5. Evaluating Patients' Unmet Needs in Hidradenitis Suppurativa (Global VOICE Project) Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (PubMed) · Checked: 2026-08-29
  6. Assessing Unmet Needs in Patients With Hidradenitis Suppurativa Archives of Dermatological Research (PubMed) · Checked: 2026-08-29
  7. Hidradenitis suppurativa: Diagnosis and treatment American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) · Checked: 2026-08-29