How to Prepare for a Medical Appointment

Most appointments are short, and it is easy to walk out having forgotten the one thing you came to ask. A little preparation changes that. Nothing below needs special knowledge: a pen, a sheet of paper and ten minutes the evening before are enough.

The steps follow advice published by the NHS in England and by healthdirect, a government-funded health information service in Australia. Booking systems, appointment lengths and your rights to records differ from country to country and often from one clinic to the next, so check how things work where you live.

Before: ten minutes with a sheet of paper

1. Decide what matters most. The NHS suggests writing down your two or three most important questions. If you have a longer list, put it in order, so the items at the top are dealt with even if time runs out. Healthdirect’s online Question Builder works the same way: you choose questions, then rank them.
2. Describe what has been happening. The NHS advises noting your symptoms, when they started, and what makes them better or worse. Dates and plain descriptions are more useful than medical words. If you have kept a sleep diary or a wellbeing journal, bring the relevant pages.
3. List everything you take. Both the NHS and healthdirect ask you to bring a list of your medicines, and the NHS adds vitamins and supplements to that list. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the same and explains why: supplements can change the way a medicine works in the body. Our guide to keeping a medicines list has a template.
4. Think about what the clinician may ask you. Healthdirect’s tool ends with a step for reviewing likely questions from the doctor, and it reminds people to mention severe reactions they have had, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and recent travel.
5. Arrange support if you need it. The NHS suggests asking in advance for an interpreter or communication support, and considering whether to bring a friend or relative. A second person can take notes and often remembers details you miss.

A one-page note you can copy

Put everything on a single page. One page is quick to hand over, and it stops you leafing through a notebook while the minutes pass.

During: say the main thing first

Open with your one-sentence reason and your first question. People often leave the worry that matters most until they are standing at the door, when there is no time left to deal with it.

The NHS lists three simple habits for the conversation itself:

• If something is unclear, ask for it to be explained again.
• If a word is unfamiliar, ask for it to be written down and explained.
• Take notes, or ask the person with you to take them.

Healthdirect puts it plainly: keep asking until you understand. This is not rudeness. A clinician cannot tell what you have understood unless you say so.

If a test or a treatment comes up, a few standard questions help you take part in the decision. They are set out in questions to ask when a test or treatment is suggested.

Before you stand up

The last minute is worth protecting. The NHS suggests a short routine before leaving the room:

• Check that you have covered everything on your list.
• Say back what you have understood, in your own words: “So the plan is…”.
• Ask what happens next and when, and write it down.
• Ask who to contact if you have more questions or if things get worse.

Saying the plan back is the most useful of the four. If your summary is wrong, this is the moment it gets corrected.

After: the same day

Notes fade quickly. On the day of the appointment, while you still remember it:

• Tidy your notes: what was discussed, what was agreed, what you are meant to do.
• Put any tests or follow-up visits in your calendar. The NHS suggests booking what you can straight away and asking what to do if appointment details do not arrive.
• If results do not come when expected, ask for them, and ask what they mean. Silence does not always mean “normal”.
• Update your medicines list if anything changed.

If the appointment is by phone or video

The same page of notes works. Have it in front of you along with a pen, find a place where you can speak freely, and keep your medicines list within reach. If you would normally bring someone with you, ask whether they can join the call.

When there is more than one problem

Say at the start how many things you hope to cover. The clinician can then tell you what fits into this visit and what needs another one. It is better to hear that at the beginning than to find out at the end that there was no time for your second question.