Get ready for a doctor's visit: symptoms, medicines and your top questions on one page

Type your messy notes; get a one-page visit sheet with your symptoms the way doctors ask about them, your full medicine list, recent changes and your top three questions first.

What it does

No bot required. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has simple advice that works for anyone heading to a checkup, a new doctor or a follow-up, or helping a parent with one. Make a list of what you want to talk about, put the most important things first, and bring them up right away instead of saving them for the end. Bring all your prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements in a bag, or a list of everything you take and the dose. NIA's list includes eye drops, vitamins and laxatives, how often you take each one, any drug allergies or reactions, and your pharmacy's phone number, since medicines can interact. Bring your insurance cards, the names and phone numbers of your other doctors, and records the doctor doesn't have yet. For symptoms, NIA says doctors will ask when they started, what time of day they happen, how long they last, how often, whether they're getting better or worse, and whether they keep you from your usual activities, so jot those down ahead of time. It also suggests telling the doctor about anything since your last visit, like an ER trip, a specialist visit, changes in appetite, weight, sleep or energy, medicine changes, and big life changes or stresses. If you bring a family member or friend, tell them ahead of time how they can help, like taking notes, and remember you can ask for time alone with the doctor. Ask the office ahead of time for an interpreter if you need one, and bring your glasses and hearing aids. Type your scattered notes into any chat AI (leave out your name, birth date and insurance numbers) and it turns them into a one-page visit sheet. It doesn't diagnose anything. That's what the visit is for, and if something feels urgent, call your doctor or 911 instead of waiting.

Copy-paste prompt

No bot needed: paste this into Grok, ChatGPT, or Claude.

Help me get ready for a doctor's appointment. Use the National Institute on Aging's "How To Prepare for a Doctor's Appointment" and "What Do I Need to Tell the Doctor?" as background. Don't diagnose anything or suggest changing any medicine. Just organize what I tell you.

The visit: [checkup / new doctor / follow-up / specialist], for [me / a parent or family member I help]. Is anyone coming with me: [no / yes, and how they can help].
My notes, in any order (no name, birth date or insurance numbers): [type everything: symptoms, worries, questions, recent changes]
Everything I take (prescriptions, over-the-counter, vitamins, supplements, eye drops), with dose and how often: [list]
Allergies or reactions to medicines: [ ]. Pharmacy phone number: [I'll add it myself].

1. Pull out my top 3 concerns and put them first, most important at the top.
2. For each symptom, write it the way NIA says doctors ask: when it started, time of day, how long it lasts, how often, better or worse, and whether it stops me from doing my usual things. Mark anything I left out as "[fill in]".
3. Make a clean medicine table: name, dose, how often, what it's for (if I said), and who prescribed it (if I said). Don't add or change anything.
4. List what's changed since my last visit: ER or urgent care trips, specialist visits, medicine changes, appetite, weight, sleep, energy, and any big life changes I mentioned.
5. Add a short "bring with me" list: this sheet, my medicines or the list, insurance cards, other doctors' names and numbers, glasses and hearing aids. Remind me to ask for an interpreter ahead of time if I need one.
6. Leave a blank "What the doctor said / next steps" section at the bottom for notes.

Keep it to one printed page if you can, in plain words.

What you need

• Any chat AI (Grok, ChatGPT, Claude)
• Your notes (voice-to-text works)
• Your medicine bottles or current list

Sources

• National Institute on Aging: How To Prepare for a Doctor's Appointment
• National Institute on Aging: What Do I Need to Tell the Doctor?
• National Institute on Aging: Talking With Your Doctor Worksheets
• Related: Family Caregiver Organizer (persona)
• Related: Got a medical bill? Check it against your EOB before you pay
• Related: Twice-a-year medicine cabinet cleanout

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