The take-along sheet
A short list.
Room for real answers.
Start with the reason you are seeking care. Explain the help you are looking for using words that feel natural to you. A medicine name can wait.
Before the visit
Write down the name of each medicine or supplement you now use. Note past treatment, tests you have and questions you keep coming back to.
Put your main question at the top. Ask which records the person treating you wants before the visit.
Leave room for another plan
The medical board group’s advice, current as of September 2026, says care must go beyond choosing a medicine from a list. Your treating professional still has to check your health needs.
The guidance says you need a route for asking your treating professional questions after the visit.
Ask what else could address the problem. Ask what the plan would be if this medicine does not fit.
Questions for the conversation
Keep the answer beside the question.
What are we treating?
What needs to be assessed first? What would count as progress?
Reason for care
Why this medicine?
What other options can we discuss? What could make this a poor fit for me?
Reason for the proposed plan
Who handles the next step?
Who supplies the medicine? Who explains the label? Who answers a new concern?
Person and route for follow-up
What am I paying for?
What is included? What is charged on its own? What happens if the plan changes?
Full bill and charges for stopping care
Before you leave
Ask for the plan in plain words. Repeat back the part that is unclear. Keep a copy of the proposed product, next step and costs.
A useful answer can also be “we need more information”. Write down what that information is and who will get it.