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Personal History Checklist

Approaching a physician for the first time can be an intimidating experience. You want to make sure that he gets all the necessary information to treat you. Leaving gaps in your history can cause conditions to go unnoticed for long periods of time, possibly leading to negative health consequences. Avoid having this happen by making a personal history checklist in advance. Writing down such details before meeting doctors gives you a quick and handy reference you can deliver right to them.

  1. Conditions

    • Chronic conditions, as well as past health events, should be one of the first things on your checklist. These can even include childhood illnesses and their outcomes, if they are relevant to any present symptoms you are experiencing. Examples of adult conditions worth mentioning are heart attacks, diabetes, fertility problems and thyroid issues.

    Past Treatments

    • Other items to have on hand for your doctor's visit are past treatments for your conditions of concern, and whether or not they were successful for you. Don't forget to include what dates you received the treatments. For ongoing ones, put down what date they started, and any breaks in between, as well as the reasons for such breaks. If you had negative outcomes from treatments, definitely jot down what the outcomes involved, and how long they lasted.

    Medications and Allergies

    • If you are elderly, or have had poor health all your life, then you likely have a long list of medications you've taken to alleviate your problems. Make this part of your personal history checklist, and include any observed allergies or negative side effects you experienced while on the medications. Also include allergies you have to food or latex, which may influence how a physician chooses to treat your particular ailment.

    Present Problems

    • One of the most important things on your checklist is your present, or presenting, problem. Write down as many details as you can remember about this, describing it as aptly as you can. Include when symptoms began, their duration, and what makes them better or worse. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can attempt to determine if you made any other changes when symptoms began, such as eating a new food or taking a new drug.

    Questions

    • An often overlooked area for your checklist are questions for your physician. It's a wise idea to write down any unresolved issues you are wondering about, so that you don't end up forgetting to obtain a crucial piece of information during your appointment.

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