When attending an appointment at any Mayo Clinic facility, there are several must-have medical documents you need to bring. The Mayo Clinic healthcare system is often seen as the end-all-be-all of medical care. With that said, you definitely want to be as prepared as possible for these coveted appointments.
In this post, I share my top five must-have medical documents you need to bring to your Mayo Clinic appointments.
Must-Have Medical Documents
For Your
Mayo Clinic Appointments
1. A Hard Copy of Your Medical Records
While scrounging up a hard copy or copies of your medical records can seem like a pain, it is of the utmost importance to go to your Mayo Clinic appointments equipped with all the health data you can possibly find.
Medical records include a variety of things including testing and lab results/reports, imaging, imaging reports and doctor appointment notes. In my experience, I have been instructed to bring records from the last year or so.
Tracking down a hard copy of medical records can take some time, especially if you need to request hard copies of records from multiple healthcare systems, so plan ahead.
2. A Brief Medical History Document
Trying to remember what virus or lab work you had when you were 16 can be challenging, especially when you are put on the spot during an appointment. Coming prepared with a typed, brief overview of your medical history can save you a lot of time.
The brief medical history document should be made up of three sections.
A short summary of your health history from youth up until a year or two ago.
A longer, more detailed summary of your health history over the past year or two. In this summary, it is important to note what testing and imaging has been done recently and the results. Equally important, note when and where the tests/imaging were done.
Finally, create a list of abnormal lab work results. Having a list to hand to the doctor can save everyone some time, and it helps you stay focused on what you want to cover during the appointment. Doctors often seem appreciative when you come to an appointment with a compiled list of abnormal labs. Having this list helps ensure abnormal results aren’t passed over by mistake and it can help showcase some patterns.
3. A Symptom List
Creating a list of your most persistent or bothersome symptoms is another essential item you need to bring to a Mayo Clinic appointment. The list should be in order of most bothersome/persistent symptoms to least bothersome/persistent symptoms.
When creating symptom lists, try to be really specific. First, note the general category of the symptom, then in parenthesis, type a more specific explanation of where or when that symptom occurs.
Ex: Chronic pain (especially in my lower back, shoulders and hands)
This way, you can remember to be really specific when explaining your symptoms to the doctor. Being able to hand this symptom list to the doctor shows you’ve put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the appointment. It also shows you’ve thoroughly thought about what symptoms are bothering you the most, which can help doctors find a starting place for testing and/or treating those symptoms.
4. Family Medical History List
During a doctor’s appointment, it can be difficult enough to remember your medical history, let alone your family’s history. This is where a simple family medical history list can come in handy. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, and you will thank yourself for making the list when the doctor asks about your family history.
You could add this list to the bottom of your symptom list. Create a short bullet point list of your different family members and their most significant health concerns.
Ex:
Mother: ______, ______
Father: ______, ______
Paternal Grandmother: _____, ______
5. A Prepared List of Questions
Bringing a list of prepared questions to your Mayo Clinic appointment is an absolute must-have. Questions can range from being ultra-specific to fairly vague. Every situation is unique, meaning the types of questions and number of questions prepared will vary from person to person.
By creating a list ahead of time, you can thoroughly think about what questions you are hoping to get answered. If you are having a difficult time coming up with questions, Mayo Clinic’s website offers some strong questions to start with.
On Mayo Clinic’s website, some of their pages have sections titled “Preparing for Your Appointment.” Within these sections are some sample questions you should ask at your appointment. Taking these sample questions into account will help you prepare the best list of questions to bring to your Mayo Clinic appointment.
Bonus Must-Have Medical Document: Medications and Supplements List
Having an easy-to-access list of medications and supplements with the dosage amounts can save a lot of time during an appointment. Be sure to also include the date or month you started the medication. Whether you hand the list to the nurse or read from it directly, having it can help alleviate the stress of trying to remember what medications/supplements you are taking and their doses.
Final Thoughts
Going into your appointment equipped with this packet of must-have medical documents can ease some stress and help you feel more prepared. Together, these items work to help paint an overall picture of your health.
Hopefully, these five must-have medical documents help you feel as prepared as possible for successful appointments at the Mayo Clinic.
Leave a Reply