How to prepare for a doctor's appointment
Prepare for a doctor's appointment by writing one page: your main concern in one sentence, when it started and what makes it better or worse, your current medicines and supplements, your questions in order of importance, and what you want to leave with. Bring it, hand over a copy if you can, and take notes or bring someone who can.
Why it matters: A one-page list turns a rushed appointment into a useful one.
Steps
- Write your main concern as one sentence at the top of the page.
- Add when it started, how often it happens, and what makes it better or worse.
- List every medicine, supplement and vitamin you take, by name, from the labels.
- Write your top three questions, most important first.
- Note any tracking you have, such as a cycle log or blood pressure readings.
- At the visit, lead with the main concern before small talk uses up the time.
- Before you leave, repeat back the plan in your own words and ask what to do if it does not improve.
- Ask how and when you will get test results.
Common mistakes
- Saving the real concern for the end, when time is up.
- Relying on memory for medicine names.
- Leaving without knowing the next step or who to contact.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to prepare for a doctor's appointment
What to say
Prepare for a doctor's appointment by writing one page: your main concern in one sentence, when it started and what makes it better or worse, your current medicines and supplements, your questions in order of importance, and what you want to leave with. Bring it, hand over a copy if you can, and take notes or bring someone who can.
What to show
- Write your main concern as one sentence at the top of the page.
- Add when it started, how often it happens, and what makes it better or worse.
- List every medicine, supplement and vitamin you take, by name, from the labels.
- Write your top three questions, most important first.
- Note any tracking you have, such as a cycle log or blood pressure readings.
- At the visit, lead with the main concern before small talk uses up the time.
- Before you leave, repeat back the plan in your own words and ask what to do if it does not improve.
- Ask how and when you will get test results.
Check question
When should you raise your main concern?
Answer: At the start of the visit. Leading with it gives it the time it needs.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
Three questions. Your score is saved only in this browser.
Related skills
Sources
This skill is general practice and draws on no single published source.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .