Before the visit
Gather these the day before, so that you are not searching for them in the waiting room:
- your ID and, if you have one, your insurance card or policy details
- recent lab reports, scan reports and prescriptions that relate to the visit
- a list of every medicine you take, with the dose and the time, including medicines from a pharmacy counter and supplements
- your allergies, and any reactions to medicines you have had
- the name of the doctor who referred you or who saw you last
Write down what you want to say
Note when your symptoms began, what makes them better or worse and what you have tried. Doctors can only work with what they are told, and details you wrote down at home are easier to give than details you try to recall in the room.
Write down your questions too, and put the most important one first. If the visit runs short, you will still have asked it.
Questions worth asking
These work for most visits:
- What do you think is going on, and what else could it be?
- Do I need any tests, and what will they tell us?
- What are my options, and what does each one involve?
- How should I take each medicine, and what should I do if I miss a dose?
- Which symptoms mean I should come back sooner?
- When is my next visit, and should I bring anything to it?
During the visit
Take notes, or ask whether you may record the main points. Ask the doctor to repeat anything you did not follow, and ask for the instructions in writing. If a family member comes with you, agree beforehand who will ask and who will write.
After the visit
Do the small tasks while the visit is still fresh:
- file the new prescription and any report where you can find it again
- update your medicine list
- set a reminder for the next visit, the next test and each medicine
- write down what you were told, in your own words, while you still remember it
Make the next visit easier
MyCareTrack keeps your reports and prescriptions on one timeline, lets you attach records to an appointment so they are one tap away at the visit, reminds you before the appointment and saves your questions for the doctor with each report.