Doctor appointment sheet
Appointments are short. Fill the left column before you go, write the right column while you are there, and leave knowing who does what by when.
Three questions, not ten
A ten-minute appointment fits about three questions. Choose them before you go, in the order that matters: what is changing, what should we do about it, and what would make us come back sooner. Everything else can wait for the next visit, or go in a letter.
Bring changes, not a history
"She has been more confused lately" is hard to act on. "Confused in the evening for the last ten days, started after the new blood pressure tablet, sleeping badly" is a diagnosis waiting to happen. Spend five minutes filling the change column from the daily log — that is what it is for.
Write the answers down
Nobody remembers a verbal plan accurately, and the person who was in the room is rarely the person who is on duty that night. Write the answers in plain words, then write the next steps as tasks: who does what, by when, and what to do if it gets worse.
Questions
What should I ask at a parent's doctor appointment?
Three questions: what has changed, what should we do about it, and what would make us come back sooner. Write the answers and the next steps down before you leave.
How do I describe symptoms usefully?
Give the change, the timing and the trigger: what is different, since when, and what changed around the same time (a new medicine, a fall, an infection).
Should I bring the medication list?
Yes. Bring a printed list including over-the-counter medicines and supplements, because side effects and duplicate prescriptions are a common cause of new symptoms.
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