Preparing for Medical Appointments

Medical appointments can feel rushed, especially when your child has several symptoms, medicines, test results or specialists involved. You do not need to understand every medical term beforehand. Your job is simply to bring the important information, explain what you have noticed, ask your questions, and make sure you understand what happens next.

• Know the main reason for the visit and the 2 to 3 most important things to discuss
• Write down each symptom: when it started, how often it happens, and whether it is getting better or worse
• Note whether it affects eating, sleeping, walking, playing or school
• Bring previous test results, genetic reports, specialist letters and health or growth records
• If your child has a genetic diagnosis, bring the actual laboratory report, not only the name of the condition

Write down every medicine your child takes, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies. For each one, note the name, the dose, how often it is taken and why. Photos of the packets also help. An up-to-date list helps clinicians check doses, interactions, allergies and treatment changes.

Share what you know and say when you are unsure. You do not need your entire family history.

• Does anyone else in the family have the same condition, or similar unexplained symptoms?
• Are any relatives known carriers, or have any had genetic testing?
• Are the parents biologically related?
• Have there been unexplained deaths of babies or children, or repeated pregnancy losses?

Start with your main concern, and be specific about changes. Instead of “He has been unwell for a while”, try “He started coughing around six weeks ago. It happens every day, and he has had two chest infections since then.”

• Are any tests needed, and where and when will they happen?
• How will we receive results, and who do we contact if they do not arrive?
• Is another appointment or specialist needed?
• For a new medicine: the dose and timing, what to do if a dose is missed, and important side effects
• What should improve, how long it may take, and which symptoms need urgent help

• Write down anything important while you still remember it
• Update the medicine list and keep new reports together
• Note the next appointment and complete any tests or referrals
• Contact the clinic if expected results do not arrive