Printable medication list
The list every hospital, pharmacist and paramedic asks for first. Fill it once, keep it current, print a copy for the fridge and one for the wallet.
Blood pressure and vitals log
Two readings a day, one week at a time. The pattern is what the GP can act on — a single number is noise.
How to take a reading that is worth writing down
Ask the person to sit for five minutes first, back supported, feet flat, arm resting at heart height. Use the same arm every time, and take two readings a minute apart — write the second one down. Read it at the same times each day (morning before medication, evening before supper) so the entries are comparable. If the cuff is on over a sleeve or the arm is hanging, the number will be 5–15 points off and you will have recorded a measurement of the chair, not the person.
What to write, and what to leave out
Date, time, systolic, diastolic, pulse. Weight and oxygen only if a clinician asked for them — otherwise they add noise. The notes column is for the things that explain the number: a missed dose, a bad night, a fever, a new medicine started this week.
Bringing it to the appointment
Print the week you want to discuss, or download the CSV and email it ahead. Most practices will take a printed log far more seriously than a phone screenshot, and a week of paired morning/evening readings is what a medication review needs.
Questions
How often should blood pressure be recorded?
Usually twice a day — morning before medication and evening — for a week, then again whenever the GP changes a medicine. Follow whatever schedule the practice asked for.
Which reading do I write down when I take two?
Record the second reading, taken a minute after the first. Write the time next to it so the pairs are obvious.
Does this log replace a doctor's advice?
No. It records measurements. What counts as a safe range, and whether to change treatment, is a clinical decision.
Basis & sources
Primary sources only — the statute, form or paper this page is built on.
- Shimbo D, et al. Circulation. 2020;142:e42-e63 — 2 readings >=1 min apart, AM+PM, 7 days (min 3)
- Hypertension Canada 2024 Blood Pressure Log — BP log fields: target, arm, reading #1/#2, 7-day average
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — MAR header: name, DOB, allergies
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — dose, route, frequency required
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — PRN reason and result
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — refusal reason
- 42 CFR 482.43 — discharge planning CoP